Thank you (2018 edition)

[Noxegon]

Those of you who've been here a while will remember I started a thread to thank various people from here for helping with our 2015 trip to Australia and share trip reports. Once again I'd like to thank @Gazza and @joz for their help and assistance in making our trip what it was.

The highlight this year was definitely the Qantas museum in Longreach (those of you who haven't been there, do it when you can), though we really enjoyed our whole trip and hope to return in a few years time when (hopefully) you'll have a few more major coasters

Without further ado – the first trip report from Luna Park Sydney and the Husky Carnival:

http://www.bannister.org/coasters/trips/2018/0106.htm

Edited January 21, 2018 by Noxegon

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Be sure to update us when Megan gets hers up too!

I don't want to play favourites, but I do enjoy reading her perspective just as much as yours!

[Noxegon]

Her writing is better than mine, but it does take a while. I'm afraid she's not planning to do another Australian report for a while.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

I am disappointed. After reading your TR, I clicked over to her site and caught up on your Polish trip - Now I want to hear more of that trip too!

[Noxegon]

Stage two:

http://www.bannister.org/coasters/trips/2018/0110.htm

[New display name]

I find riding a kid’s coaster for credits strange.  If anybody ever finds me riding coasters for credits or gardening, you can shoot me.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

I'm not one to chase credits... i will ride junior coasters because i enjoy them, but not to claim 'a credit' - so i don't generally aim for things like Dragon Wagons and such - but i'll ride Road Runner \ EscapeFromMadagascar... I haven't done the sea world \ spongebob whatever, but i'm sure in time when my son gets old enough I will.

but - if someone else wants to ride it to tick off another coaster on their list - go for it - doesn't impact on me - except that they won't be in the big-boy queue, right?

[New display name]

I'm not saying they can't do it @AlexB  It seems strange to me.  If I'm queued for spongebob "with my daughter" and see a grown man is about to ride it by himself, my weirdo alarm goes off.

(Weirdo - a person whose dress or behaviour seems strange or eccentric).

I find it strange somebody would go to SW to only ride spongebob because they haven't ticked it off yet.  (I'm not saying he did)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

lol. I have actually had that thought previously Skeet - and my conclusion was - "its a good thing Megan is with him"

I'm sure many people have watched 'weirdos' like that like an absolute hawk, watched them ride, enjoy, and leave, try to figure out what possible motive they could have had for riding (because they couldn't possibly be riding for their own enjoyment) and conclude that either:

1. they were mentally impaired
2. they were somehow riding to conceal the fact that they were concealing spy cameras on the coaster car to do weirdo things
3. ...
   1. weirdo profit!

[New display name]

Single = weirdo.

Couple = pairweirdo.

Three = weirdsome.

 

I think my weirdo alarm would exploded if I queued behind a group like TPR all trying to get their credit on spongebob.

 

 

Edited February 5, 2018 by Skeeta

[Gazza]

I try to ride at least one example of each ride model.

Kiddie coasters Ill do if they are there and no queue.

[Noxegon]

3 hours ago, Skeeta said:

If I'm queued for spongebob "with my daughter" and see a grown man is about to ride it by himself, my weirdo alarm goes off.

What impact does someone riding a family coaster by themselves have on you? Absolutely none.

3 hours ago, AlexB said:

because they couldn't possibly be riding for their own enjoyment

You have absolutely no idea what a random person enjoys and doesn't enjoy.

I think it's very sad that we live in a world where people are judged for having unusual hobbies. It's a very short leap from there to "man on his own in amusement park must be a pedophile", which is where the UK has gone.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2828413/Theme-park-bans-single-adults-paedophile-fears-bird-enthusiast-grandfather-told-t-watch-falconry-display.html

Just my €0.02.

[New display name]

1 hour ago, Gazza said:

I try to ride at least one example of each ride model.

Kiddie coasters Ill do if they are there and no queue.

That makes sense.

35 minutes ago, Noxegon said:

What impact does someone riding a family coaster by themselves have on you? Absolutely none.

 

 

SpongeBob isn't a family coaster.   Parkz describes it as a small children's roller coaster.   Technical it has an impact on me.

1. It makes me feel strange.

2. It lengthens the time it takes for my daughter to ride.

I'm not only talking about people riding little children rides for credits.  When you have 14 teenagers rock up and think it's funny to ride small children's roller coaster it means all the children have to wait.

There are rides that say you can't be under a certain age to ride.  There are rides that you have to be a certain height to ride.  There are rides you have to be a certain weight to ride.

This ride is clearly designed for children and SW should police it so.  

I doubt you would find many if any coasters in Australia that a small child can ride with a min-height being only 90cm.

 

[Noxegon]

57 minutes ago, Skeeta said:1 hour ago, Skeeta said:

SpongeBob isn't a family coaster.  

The ride manufacturer calls it a 'Family Gravity Coaster" and their official page describes it as suitable for up to twelve adults and children. I think they ought to know.

http://www.zamperla.com/products/family-gravity-coaster/

57 minutes ago, Skeeta said:

1. It makes me feel strange.

I put it to you that if someone else riding a roller coaster on their own makes you feel strange, then the problem is you, not them.

57 minutes ago, Skeeta said:

2. It lengthens the time it takes for my daughter to ride.

That's certainly true, though I'd argue that paying guests of parks who want to enjoy attractions have every right to do so, assuming of course that they meet the height and weight restrictions put in place by the manufacturer.

57 minutes ago, Skeeta said:

I'm not only talking about people riding little children rides for credits.  When you have 14 teenagers rock up and think it's funny to ride small children's roller coaster it means all the children have to wait.

Please see my previous comment. I'm of the view that park guests should be allowed to ride whatever attractions they wish once they comply with the height/weight requirements. If a group of teenagers decides to ride a family coaster then they're fully within their rights to do so. It's not like this sort of thing happens constantly anyway.

57 minutes ago, Skeeta said:

There are rides that say you can't be under a certain age to ride.  There are rides that you have to be a certain height to ride.  There are rides you have to be a certain weight to ride.

I don't agree with age limits on rides, as everyone (both young and old) is different.

To use a specific example, in China you'll find coasters where you have to be under 55 to ride, which I find particularly comical. I know of one enthusiast (female!) who made herself look younger with hair dye to avoid that particular embuggerance

Height and weight limits set by manufacturers are there for safety and have my full support. That includes both minimums and maximums.

57 minutes ago, Skeeta said:

This ride is clearly designed for children and SW should police it so.

If a park has designated a ride for the use of children only then you won't find me arguing.

However, if the ride can be ridden by adults when accompanying a child (which you do find in some US parks) then that IMHO constitutes blatant discrimination against a section of the park audience. It would be an interesting case to argue in front of an equality tribunal. That said, in this day and age, taking such a case would probably result in you being labelled as a child protection risk by the chattering classes – which I find very sad. As I said in my earlier post, everyone has different hobbies.

57 minutes ago, Skeeta said:

I doubt you would find many if any coasters in Australia that a small child can ride with a min-height being only 90cm.

Completely irrelevant to this debate IMHO.

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

14 hours ago, Noxegon said:

You have absolutely no idea what a random person enjoys and doesn't enjoy.

@Noxegon - i think you've misunderstood

17 hours ago, AlexB said:

(because they couldn't possibly be riding for their own enjoyment)

My tongue was planted firmly in-cheek with that comment (hence why it was bracketed as it was different to the rest of the post) - i was being exaggerated and sarcastic.

12 hours ago, Noxegon said:

 that particular embuggerance

I'm pretty sure you've used that word in one of your travel notes or similar before. I need to write that down and steal it.

[New display name]

14 hours ago, Noxegon said:

The ride manufacturer calls it a 'Family Gravity Coaster" and their official page describes it as suitable for up to twelve adults and children. I think they ought to know.

HaHaHa don't be like Trump.  You can't pick out the bits you like for yourself and chuck out the rest.

You missed "perfect addition to any park’s kiddieland".

SW didn't choose to install this coaster for middle age man to ride without their kids.

SW meeting in @Noxegon eyes: "Hey guys, let's install a new coaster for middle age men and I know let's install it in a kiddies area"  (happens never)

As the old saying goes, A grown man that rides a kids coaster for enjoyment, looks like a weirdo.

 

[Noxegon]

Apologies for double posting here – not sure what happened, but the text editor lost about half of the post I made earlier so I decided to nuke it and start afresh.

10 hours ago, AlexB said:

I'm pretty sure you've used that word in one of your travel notes or similar before. I need to write that down and steal it.

It is a gloriously cromulent word. I'm very fond of it.

7 hours ago, Skeeta said:

HaHaHa don't be like Trump.  You can't pick out the bits you like for yourself and chuck out the rest.

You missed "perfect addition to any park’s kiddieland".

I genuinely missed that – mea culpa. That being said, the omission doesn't take away from the fact that the ride manufacturer describes it as a Family Coaster suitable for adults and children. As a further data point, nine of the forty-three extant installations have the word family in their name. I've ridden thirty separate models around the world and there's never been a problem.

Separately, I can't help but notice how you've chosen to reply to one portion of my post, ignoring the rest

7 hours ago, Skeeta said:

SW didn't choose to install this coaster for middle age man to ride without their kids.

Totally agree with this. However, I think it's equally fair to say that SW didn't say "we're buying a family coaster that most of our park guests can ride, but lets limit it to children only so that @Skeeta doesn't feel strange". 

7 hours ago, Skeeta said:

As the old saying goes, A grown man that rides a kids coaster for enjoyment, looks like a weirdo.

I know that you're far from the only person to feel that way, but I find that view desperately sad. Why rush to judgment about someone who's quietly enjoying themselves in an amusement park? 

If you'll forgive a slight digression, I've been involved with a youth group for almost three decades, first as a child participant and subsequently as an adult leader. In the last ten years we've had to deal with increasing bureaucracy relating to child protection that is having a very real impact on what we do. To give one example, in times past we would often travel in a fleet of private cars, but we're not allowed to do that any more as regulations prohibit children travelling in cars with unrelated adults – even though in our case we typically had two adults/three children in each car. Instead we have to hire a bus, and the cost of that has reduced the number of activities we run. Every adult has to get police clearance every few years, and our younger members do the moment they turn eighteen - which has led to some asinine situations where two friends aged 17 and 18 have had to be separated temporarily because the older one hasn't received their clearance yet. (The whole clearance thing gives a false sense of security IMHO, since all it really proves is that a would-be malefactor hasn't been caught yet).

The reason I mention this story is that it has become increasingly apparent that many people out there are afraid of their own shadows, to the point that anyone with an unusual hobby is automatically treated with suspicion or considered a "weirdo" or worse. This doesn't make the world a better place.

Just my €0.02.

[New display name]

13 hours ago, Noxegon said:

Separately, I can't help but notice how you've chosen to reply to one portion of my post, ignoring the rest

 

I got bored.

13 hours ago, Noxegon said:

Totally agree with this. However, I think it's equally fair to say that SW didn't say "we're buying a family coaster that most of our park guests can ride, but lets limit it to children only so that @Skeeta doesn't feel strange".

Of course not,  Skeeta is not my real name.

13 hours ago, Noxegon said:

I know that you're far from the only person to feel that way, but I find that view desperately sad. Why rush to judgment about someone who's quietly enjoying themselves in an amusement park?

I think you have my view skew whiff.  We are never going to agree who SpongeBob is built for.

1.        The ride is designed to bring enjoyment to little kids.  (The only enjoyment I get from it is seeing the enjoyment it brings my daughter) 

 

You say credit whores only ride kid’s coaster for the credits and I put it to you that credit race is a flawed system and poorly thought out.

When I go to little Billy’s house to look at his stamp collection his stamps are sorted in value.  Even though I know nothing about stamps, I can quickly appreciate that one stamp is worth more than another.  Billy pride and joy is his stamp that was a printing mistake and only 1000 made.  Billy also has a shoebox full of stamps that have all been used but he is hoping one day they might be worth something. (I don’t know a Billy)

When I go to little Suzy house to look out her coin collection her coins are sorted in value.

(I don’t know a Suzy)

When I go to Reanimated35 house to look at his photo collection his photos are sorted in how he values them.

(I knew a Reanimated35 but I think he died)

When I go to Noxegon house to look at his coaster collection it means nothing to me because all his coasters are valued the same.  Noxegon tells me he and Gazza are all locked up on 222 each and Noxegon is looking for his next coaster to tame.  I suggest to Noxegon he ride Takabisha because Skeet knows Gazza is about to enslave Road Runner Rollercoaster.

Noxegon tells Skeeta, “don’t be a weirdo, that will move us both to 223”.

Skeeta spends the next sixty years trying to convince Noxegon Takabisha is worth a gold credit where Road Runner Rollercoaster is only worth a blue credit.

In fact, it turns out all Gazza’s coasters are only blue credits where Noxegon has 221 Gold credits plus one super rare Black Opal credit he received for riding the first wooden mouse coaster ever built that is no longer available.

Until a coaster credit has a currency to it, credit whoring is useless and meaningless.

On a final point, I never thought or it crossed my mind or am I trying to imply that you are on the kid’s roller coaster for any other reason but to ride the coaster.

[Wil_i_am_not]

I've credit whored in the past and realised it just plain stupid to count coasters. I understand people enjoy doing so and comparing to others, etc, but to me its just about enjoying the damn ride. This is why I don't ride kiddie coaster and though I don't judge enthusiasts riding kiddie coasters for the credit, to a member of the public, it would seem a little weird and out of the ordinary. 

I wouldn't go as far to say that they're child molesters or anything ridiculous like that, because the majority of coaster enthusiasts are lovely people, but its definitely not a normal thing to see a grown man riding a kiddie coaster by himself. Just my 2c.

 

 

[New display name]

3 minutes ago, Wil_i_am_not said:

II don't judge enthusiasts

I do judge my fellow enthusiasts who credit whore because as an enthusiast, I know not all coaster are equal.

[JaggedJanine]

Yeh.... No one stores photos like that.

[New display name]

34 minutes ago, JaggedJanine said:

Yeh.... No one stores photos like that.

@Reanimated35 does.  His not willing to tell you about it but he tells me everything.

Put it this way.  When I come over your house tonight for dinner and you pull out the old photo album.  You’re not going to show me the photos you don’t like.

A credit whore will show you everything including the bad ones.

 

 

[Slick]

I'll agree with the point @Skeeta is making - the only fun i've ever had credit whoring is when i've had quite a few to drink at a theme park, at which point, both the embarrassment that comes from riding a children's attraction and my inhibition that stops me from doing exactly that are both well and truly gone, which at least, for me, makes it kinda enjoyable and funny.

Still sad. But really funny. But still kinda sad.

People should be credit whoring the parks themselves. Theme parks to me are excellent waypoints that enable a traveller to procure great adventures and memorable stories in the process of getting to said waypoints. One time I missed the pathway to Tobu Zoo by a whole a hundred metres or less and ended up strolling through multiple farms, walking an odd country dirt path and jumping a river to be escorted to an alternative entrance by staff. To me that story of quite literally going off the beaten track is more memorable and brings me more joy than say the memory of riding the kid's coaster at Sea World.

[Noxegon]

9 hours ago, Skeeta said:

Until a coaster credit has a currency to it, credit whoring is useless and meaningless.

Humans do things that are useless and meaningless every hour of every day

I respect the fact that many people think that counting coasters is dumb. It may actually surprise you to learn that I don't actually disagree with this; it is a stupid hobby, but the fact is that I've made the choice to do this which is my prerogative as an individual. There's a Calvin & Hobbes cartoon that is relevant here:

http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1995/04/27

I count lots of other things too – just because. I'm expecting to fly through my 250th different airport in 2018 – and whatever about coasters, I can definitely say that not all airports are equal!

Quote

On a final point, I never thought or it crossed my mind or am I trying to imply that you are on the kid’s roller coaster for any other reason but to ride the coaster.

Thank you for that. 

8 hours ago, Skeeta said:

I do judge my fellow enthusiasts who credit whore because as an enthusiast, I know not all coaster are equal.

Indeed not, and not always in the way you might imagine – I liked SpongeBob far better than Buzzsaw. And I liked having severe indigestion better than riding Mick Doohan's Motocoaster.

6 hours ago, Skeeta said:

When I come over your house tonight for dinner and you pull out the old photo album.

People still have photo albums?

3 hours ago, Roachie said:

Theme parks to me are excellent waypoints that enable a traveller to procure great adventures and memorable stories in the process of getting to said waypoints

Totally agree with this. Theme parks and coasters have led me to countries and cities that I'd never have been to under ordinary circumstances – by the end of this year I'll have visited seventy countries – and I have many great stories and memories.

At least one of those memories involves a pathetic coaster; a fellow enthusiast broke his rib while riding a Wacky Worm in Cairo (he was looking over his shoulder as we hit the brakes, and the restraint clobbered him). As you can imagine he didn't get a massive amount of sympathy!

Another great one was when a security guard ran up to us at Abu Dhabi Airport when we were getting out of a taxi to say that we must be at the wrong terminal. He couldn't believe that a group of western adults could possibly be flying to Bangladesh.

Edited February 7, 2018 by Noxegon

[Gazza]

I dunno why this would be a major issue, the number of enthusiasts in a theme park would be a couple per day on average among thousands 

The  number of them who are ticking off a ride on a kiddie coaster is an even smaller number of that.

So don't try and tell me they are making lines longer lol.