Pros & Cons Of Visiting Parks With Enthusiasts

So around this time last year I wrote a post about the pros and cons of visiting parks with non-enthusiasts and I always meant to write a follow up post about doing the same but with enthusiasts - and I guess that's why you just read that sentence because I finally got around to writing the damn thing, hurrah! As somebody who almost exclusively visits theme parks with enthusiasts, I am well versed on the good, the bad and the ugly side of visiting theme parks with all manner of enthusiast from casual park goers to hardcore fan boys. It's like a sick addiction really, there's so many annoying points about visiting parks with nerds but for every bad thing there's a positive counter point that makes it hard to really be mad at. Let's take a look...

Pro - Organisation
Never has a theme park trip been easier to organise that with enthusiasts. Remember those days when you were that one weird kid at school who was mega into Thorpe Park and basically had to spend months and months convincing your friends to go, and even then there'd be an absolute meltdown about how to get there and how to split the cost of entry when there were seven of you going but you had three 2 for 1 vouchers. None of that bullshit with enthusiasts. The conversation in the group chat goes:

"Anyone up for Thorpe this weekend?"
"Yeah mate, meet at Fin's?"
"Yeah sweet I'll be there about 11"
"Cool"
"Cool"

And it's literally that easy. No faffing, no fucking about, just bish, bash, bosh, front-row riding on Stealth. Sorted.

Con - Control Freaks
If you yourself are NOT an enthusiast (and if you're not then what the hell are you doing here reading this blog? HOW DID YOU FIND ME?!), then visiting a park with an enthusiast can be a bit of a nightmare because we're kind of awful for thinking we know best. I mean, we kind of do know best because we've been to this park more times this season than you have your entire life and we know the place inside and out but like, seriously? You want to go on THAT coaster? Really? No, sorry, we're not wasting our time riding that piece of shit no Vekoma SLC for you. Yeah, we're kind of lame like that but we promise it's for your own good, you'll thank us when you have the BEST DAY EVER.

Pro - Planning
If you visit a park with an enthusiast you best believe you can sit back and put your feet up because they have got your day covered. You won't have to think about a damn thing and can simply spend the whole day mindlessly floating from one place to another because enthusiasts come to a park with a ready made game plan - sometimes without even realising it, it just comes second nature to us. They know the best time to hit what rides, the best seats on what coaster, the best spot to stand for the greatest view of the show and the best places to eat that won't be crowded with families of screaming children. Trust us, we got this.

Con - Complaining
So, here's the thing about enthusiasts. We like to complain. Especially about parks we visit all the time - because we're there all the time there's stuff we see more often than your average park goer and it annoys the shit out of us. And guess what, if you're at a park with us we are going to point out every blemish, every unpainted fence panel, every broken effect. And we are going to complain about how terrible it is that this hasn't been sorted yet. Loudly. And you'll cringe and die as you see the ride ops roll their eyes as they overhear for the millionth time these fanboys complaining about something they see every day. Do they not think if it were that simple to fix it would have been done already?! But yh, brace yourself for that because we can't help ourselves, it's who we are. Plus we secretly enjoy the nitpicking.

Pro - Friends
One big ol' pro about visiting parks with enthusiasts is that often we'll be mates with people who work at the parks. Whilst this doesn't necessarily mean free tickets (although it can do if you're super nice to us) it can sometimes mean special treatment. I'm not talking skipping queues, but I am talking a slightly bigger portion of fries or letting you sit in your fav seat on a coaster that's mean to have allocated seating. It's the little things right?

Cons - Familiar
Another thing us enthusiasts can't help but do even though we know it's super annoying is loudly talk along with any dialogue on an attraction. We've done this thing so many times we know every single word, every inflection, every lighting and sound cue. And we'll be damned if we'll stand there in silence and just enjoy it like some sort of schmuk! No, no, instead you will be forced to stand next to us and recoil with embarrassment as we excitedly chant along with the Hex narrator as the "VAULT SEALED FOR TWO CENTURIES" reveals itself as the bookcase swings back. Honestly it's like an impulse I'm so sorry...

And so you see, it balances out. We're mega annoying to visit with, overbearing and think we know everything but hey, there's a plus side too! Did I miss any? Is there anything super annoying you do at a park as an enthusiast when you visit with non-enthusiasts? Let me know in the comments.