What's new

How crowded do you like an amusement park?

MestnyiGeroi

Giga Poster
When you go to an amusement park, how crowded do you like it?

A. The less crowded the better, as that means more walk-ons. My perfect day would be if my companion(s) and I were the only guests in the entire park.

B. I like short lines and walk-ons, but a totally empty park is devoid of atmosphere, so I like a lightly crowded day.

C. I think an average level of crowdedness is the best of both worlds.

D. A bustling park is an exciting park. I like big crowds, so long as it doesn’t reach ridiculous proportions.

E. The more the merrier. A packed park is a park with great atmosphere, and that’s a huge part of what makes parks great. Bring on the maximum crowds!
 

Dar

Hyper Poster
Generally, I like option B. It's nice to be amongst other people enjoying themselves, but not enough people to cause queues.

On the other hand, if I'm somewhere for a few days, the weathers good, and there's an event on, there's nothing like sitting down in a shady spot with a cold beer and a Gyro from the greek taverna and just watching the hustle & bustle. So more D/E, but that's only happened once at Europa Park during their summer party a couple of years ago!
 

jayjay

Giga Poster
I'm B. Dead parks are great for getting stuff done but feel slightly eerie. Like you're in 28 Days Later or something. Also found I like a tiny bit of a wait for coasters to build the anticipation.
 

MestnyiGeroi

Giga Poster
Definitely B. If it's too empty, the park might close early.

Sent from my VS501 using Tapatalk
An early closing time means you might miss that nighttime atmosphere, but if they close early on an empty day, it rarely means you haven’t gotten in all the rides and marathoned your favorites.

I’ve heard it said that if you want to know how crowded a new park will be, look at the posted hours on their calendar. The park itself knows how many people they usually get on a July weekend or a September weekday and they adjust their hours. So while I always want the days with the longest hours, a smarter pick is usually the day with the shorter hours.

OK, I’m blathering on about obvious stuff now so I’ll stop. :D
 

lachlan

Mega Poster
B, as often they won't run rides for a single person, so I end up waiting anyway. Also it's nice to see how other people react to the rides.

I'd rather not have to wait if I don't have to though. I'll be patient, but I wouldn't queue if I didn't have to
 

MestnyiGeroi

Giga Poster
I’m a B, too.

I only ask this because I occasionally hear people say that they don’t like quiet parks, and I recently saw a YouTuber recommending that people wait for the weekend when it will be livelier.

So far we’re all Bs. I wonder if any here are C, D, or E.
 

Youngster Joey

Strata Poster
B

As Long as the park is making some money but queue's aren't too long I'll have a good day. Then again when it boils down to it it's the people I'm with who matter the most.
 

TilenB

Strata Poster
Another vote for B.
I don't think I've ever quite been the solo visitor to any park I've done, but those that I did on super quiet days (e.g. trains going round half empty or or even me being the solo rider) did feel a bit depressing. Though, I still think I enjoyed myself more than when there are 1h+ queues.
 

rob666

Hyper Poster
Sorry...A.
The quieter the better for me...might take a few decades to get used to it, but I now try to pick my days.
First Sunday of the season on BPB for the first hour...forgot it was 11 opening and was on the park via the east gate before 10.30.
Got a free ride with Scott's lot...Cheers again Scott, but then had a fantastic half hour in the south of the park, just me and Icon, a quiet half hour together before the crowds wander in. Only other people about were staff going to open their rides and stalls up.
Planning Towers for the last weekdays before scarefest as well...deader than dead usually.
 

Sandman

Giga Poster
All depends on the park and circumstance for me. For example, Alton at Scarefest or Blackpool on a late night close really works better with a bustling atmosphere. Parks like Tivoli (at night) also come alive with a good crowd. My first and only visit to Efteling with Howie back in October was dead... and I can't imagine enjoying it as much with big crowds. I thought it was a park that definitely felt a bit more "magical" thanks to the fact we were left to our own devices and weren't rushed for time.
 

Will

Strata Poster
Depends really - my first day at Canada's Wonderland was a A because it was open late but there'd been very heavy rain earlier, and that was fab - if it's a big park and I need all the creds, then empty is fine.
11136716_10153520117190864_4596339768368400971_n.jpg

Some parks however, such as Heide and Parque Warner need people in order to hide their lack of atmosphere, whereas places like Phantasialand and Efteling can be miserable when they're too busy.
If I'm doing Alton, where I've been hundreds of times, during an event with a big group of people - chances are we don't care about ride count, so then it can be busier.
 
Last edited:

Zek_Teh_Kek

Hyper Poster
Well, seeing as Cedar Point is my home park, I'd love to see "B" there, but I've only ever gone on a weekend iirc, so I usually see a "C", a "D", or during Halloweekends, the ever dreaded "E".
 

nadroJ

CF Legend
I hate a dead theme park. Always feels awkward, and I hate it when you're the first guests the staff have seen all day and they're overly attentive <//3

So B, or even C. Honestly don't mind a touch of a queue.
 

MestnyiGeroi

Giga Poster
I hate a dead theme park. Always feels awkward, and I hate it when you're the first guests the staff have seen all day and they're overly attentive <//3

So B, or even C. Honestly don't mind a touch of a queue.
Hey — the first mention of a C! :)
 
Top