What I don't understand about Thrill Rides....

[MichiganDVC]

Here's what I don't understand about thrill rides...

I was reminiscing about my childhood at Magic Kingdom and the different rides/attractions, etc...
As a kid, I went on Thunder Mountain several times a trip and Space Mountain usually once a trip as I got older. They were "fun," but I don't have any nostalgia for them. I've ridden both as an adult, yet they don't do for me what Haunted Mansion does. And every time I ride Pirates and we pass the pirate with his hairy leg dangling over the bridge, I think of my mom who would point out how life-like the hair looked every time we rode.

I get that thrill rides are just that: Thrilling and fast. And although I am a giant baby who will NEVER ride RnR coaster or ToT or Everest(again), I have no problem with BTMRR. I just think because it goes so fast, there's no time to enjoy the story and no time to attach meaning to the ride that sticks with you for life.

I'd rather go on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority than Space Mountain. Is there something wrong with me?

 

[minnie mum]

Nope. There's not a thing wrong with you. The old saying "Different strokes for different folks" applies to theme park rides, too. Enjoy the parks the way YOU want to.

 

[Mousemommy1]

I'm just going to chime in about the pirate foot.....I have dry heaved at the site of that thing since I was a child. It's so nasty! I am always afraid that if I look up at it, something will fall off and land in my eye.

Now, my kids always start saying "here comes your foooooooot" when that part is coming. It's nasty, but endearing at the same time.

I love the rides with the stories just as much as Space mountain. But, space mountain IS nostalgic for me. It's the first roller coaster I ever went on when I was 7 and I remember my dad telling me to hold on tight and his hands gripping my shoulders like I did with my kids the first times they rode.

 

[khaleesi]

I don't like roller coasters in general, so that may have something to do with my feelings on this subject but I agree.

As for the foot... my niece truly thinks "yo ho yo ho a pirate's life for me" is followed by "dirty foot dirty foot". That's the way she sings it and that's now the way my nephew sings it... and I can't help but sing it that way as well.

I have a picture of said foot taken specifically for my niece!

 

[acc82]

Nope - nothing wrong with you at all.

I'm a thrill ride junkie but I love those other rides too. The love I have for thrill rides is different.

So take that love you have for haunted mansion and all the reasons you love it and throw in some adrenaline and there you go - that's rock n roller coaster.

For some of us, we need some rides that get our adrenaline pumping and make us scream a little. But the great thing about disney is they still incorporate that disney touch into those rides as well. They still have theming, stoyline, and detail. You may not notice all the detail within the ride (going 60 miles an hour) but you see it before and after.

For most of us theme park goers that need some adrenaline, if we had no thrill rides, it would just be too boring. Not to sound harsh, but you need a little variety.

 

[quest4dl]

I agree. While I do enjoy the 'thrill' rides as well, I prefer going through rides slowly to catch all the rich detailing. Unfortunately my kids are at the age where they prefer the thrill rides so I have to go on them or in priority over other rides now.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I love thrill rides - that is why I like Cedar Point so much. None of the rides at WDW reach that threshold for me - they are not "thrill rides" for me.

At WDW, the theming is what draws me in and keeps me coming back. That and all of the amazing memories that I have of my life in WDW.

 

[Brian Noble]

Is there something wrong with me?

Nope. I'm a huge adrenaline junky, and there's just about nothing too fast, too tall, or too spinny for me. But, different strokes for different folks.

 

[tajz90]

I love both. Give me a good thrill ride any day, any time. LOVE THEM! I also love rides that spark my imagination and tell me a story!!! Disney is great about doing both. Plus, if I want major thrills, I'm not going to Disney for them

I don't feel complete if I leave Disney without riding Peter Pan.

 

[pharaoh]

I'm exactly like you! I really don't like thrill rides, but I will ride some of them at WDW. Everyone is always going on about the theming and the story behind some of these rides (Splash Mountain is one I always hear about), but I'm usually so nervous on any of those rides that any theming or story is completely lost on me.

My favorite rides at WDW are the ones that have fond memories for me. That crazy pirate foot certainly holds a lot of significance for a lot of people, I can tell just by this thread haha! For me, I always remember riding it for the first time with my grandma when I was 3 or 4, and seeing her point up at the foot and saying she was going to grab the pirate and pull him down. 25 years later, I still remember that every time I go on Pirates.

 

[Love Tink]

I love the rides with the stories just as much as Space mountain. But, space mountain IS nostalgic for me. It's the first roller coaster I ever went on when I was 7 and I remember my dad telling me to hold on tight and his hands gripping my shoulders like I did with my kids the first times they rode.

Yep. You can have nostalgia for thrill rides, too.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Yep everyone is different I'm not a thrill ride junkie but I love the simulator-type rides like at Universal and some at Disney. You get the thrill without actually having to do whatever it is.

 

[SolitaryPhoenix]

Nope, not at all. I personally can't do "thrill" rides, have a tricky stomach and even the little 'dip' in PotC turns it a bit. To each their own, I say, and the fact that there are so many different types of rides at WDW is one of the things that make it so wonderful - there's something for everyone to enjoy.

 

[jcemom]

I think the only thing there is to understand is that everyone is different. What floats your boat may not be what floats mine.

What do I remember from WDW as a child? Small World, the submarine, and the Country Bears.

What do my kids remember? Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Rock n Roller Coaster, and Tower of Terror.

What are my favorites as an adult? A mix of thrill rides and classics. I prefer TTA over Space Mountain, but I also prefer Everest over TTA. I like a little bit of everything. Just because a ride is fast doesn't mean it can't make memories for someone. My DD spent years waiting to meet the height requirement for Rock n Roller Coaster (she's small for her age). She was absolutely thrilled when she was finally tall enough. It remains her favorite ride.

 

[Brian Noble]

Just because a ride is fast doesn't mean it can't make memories for someone.

Yep. Going back to the OP's example, I have vivid memories of *both* Space and Mansion. I also vividly remember waiting in line to ride Gemini at Cedar Point---at the time the biggest baddest coaster just about anywhere, but now so boring that my kids will barely give it the time of day!

 

[Bullseye]

I don't have feeling of nostalgia about BTMRR because it wasn't there when I was a kid, whereas SM was. It's so funny you mention the hair on the guys leg in Pirates. I always amazed at that as a kid and remember that now whenever I pass under it.

I love thrill rides - that is why I like Cedar Point so much. None of the rides at WDW reach that threshold for me - they are not "thrill rides" for me.

At WDW, the theming is what draws me in and keeps me coming back. That and all of the amazing memories that I have of my life in WDW.

Very well said, I feel exactly the same way

 

[crostorfer]

Whats to understand? My 10 year old loves them, and it's all she ever talks about. I couldn't get her on the TTA if I glued her butt to the seat with gorilla glue. If you don't like them, fine.

Not everyone is all about nostalgia 24/7, and thats ok.

 

[kbelle8995]

Nope there's nothing wrong with that at all.

I love BTMRR but Space MTN not so much. That's whats great about Disney. You don't have just thrill rides

 

[ltsmash1200]

I love thrill rides, but to me, most of them are pretty similar and I can go on a roller coaster anywhere. When I go to disney I want to see all of the detailed imagineering that sets disney apart from everybody else. That's why I prefer the rides like Haunted Mansion and Pirates more there.

Last time we went down we also went to Universal for a day and I completely skipped all of their roller coasters because I wanted to do Jurassic Park and Simpsons and my girlfriend wanted to do Harry Potter.