The Secret To Increasing Your Coaster Count

Coaster counting is a little bit of a taboo subject amongst coaster enthusiasts. It's extremely polarising - either you're very much for it and are obsessed, often getting into days-long arguments over what counts as a cred or not OR you're vehemently against the idea and think it sucks the fun out of visiting theme parks. In case the multiple pictures of me travelling the country riding kiddie coasters wasn't telling enough, I'm firmly in camp cred whore. I love counting coasters, and it was the idea of increasing my coaster count that finally got me out into the world to experience more parks in the first place. Whilst that interest has dwindled slightly since reaching the 1000 cred milestone, I'm still partial to a plus one and, given recent events, have recently turned my attention back to completing the UK which has reignited my passion for Wacky Worms.

Whilst in my old school circle of forum coaster enthusiast friends a count of 1000+ is not really that uncommon, among the fresher crowds found on social media it's a mind-boggling number and whenever it comes up I'm often met with questions. Usually I get asked if that's individual coasters ridden or how many coaster rides I've had (eg, could be I've only ridden Stealth, but done it 1000 times) to which the answer is obviously the former, and then it's how the hell did you get there? The quick answer really is I've been on pretty much nothing but coaster holidays since 2009 and over time the number has increased naturally as I've travelled to different places. But that said, there certainly is a knack to ensuring maximum cred collection on these trips so I thought I'd share some of my top tips on how to maximise your coaster count with you all today!

So when I say I've been on over 1000 coasters generally people think of things like Nemesis or Stealth. What the general public might refer to as a 'proper' coaster. The truth is that if one were to peruse my list, you'd quickly realise that there is a LOT of shit on there. I reckon for every 'proper' coaster there's five pieces of kiddie coaster crap, which eventually adds up to a lot of padding out of numbers. One day I'll go through my count and categorise them all to work out a true percentage, but it is not this day. Whilst outside of the UK I don't really seek out shameful plus ones to add to the list, generally speaking there are more crappy little coasters than big boy good coasters. It's just the way of the world, the big boy good coasters often come with a healthy price tag to match and sadly it's not something all parks can afford, so often they'll lump for something small but still attractive to general public guests. 

So yes, if you're looking for a big boost my first piece of advice is to leave your shame at the door. You'd be surprised just how much your coaster count can increase once you start actively seeking out the Big Apples, Wacky Worms and SBF Visa spinners of the world!

When you're starting out on your journey as a shameless cred whore, Coast2Coaster is your friend til the end. This online tool is essentially a worldwide map that lists all known coasters worldwide which comes in super handy if you're looking to cred-sweep a certain area of the globe. It's also great for identifying smaller, lesser-known parks that are only a stone's throw away from bigger, more well-known parks you were already planning on visiting. For instance did you know there's a Zierer Tivoli coaster a 500m walk away from Movie Park Germany? Well, now you do! There are small pockets of creds like this all over, many of which can be swept up in a short trip of a day or two - which is especially good for cred-hunters who are currently geographically restricted due to COVID-19 still in need of a cred-fix. 

Clusters are especially good to bear in mind when planning a cred-run. Across the UK there are a ton of these areas, usually found along our coastlines, where one can easily pick up 10+ creds within a day - all it takes is a little strategy & planning, a car and some willing participants to join you in the madness. Honestly some of the most hilarious and fun days out I've had in this hobby have been spent on a cred-run, driving manically from small park to small park choking down as many kiddie coasters as we can find. Because I'm slightly deranged I've got loads of cred-run trips saved on spreadsheets in my trip planning folder so do get in touch if it's something you're interested in and I'd be more than happy to impart some wisdom! 

When places like Cedar Point, Orlando and even Alton Towers exist I understand the temptation to keep going back to these places over and over again. If you know you love a park and know you're guaranteed a good time for your money, why bother going anywhere else and risking it being tragic - especially considering the money places like Florida cost. But one huge factor in me boosting my ridden coasters numbers was broadening my horizons outside of the obvious major theme park destinations and getting stuck in elsewhere. I've been on multiple US road trips to take on some of the more regional parks with large coaster numbers like Six Flags and Cedar Fair owned parks and have taken full advantage of low-cost flights from London to various countries across Europe for mini theme park weekend trips. And with the use of Coast2Coaster it's very easy to see where the big numbers are which will really help you plan a trip to maximise the plus one potential!

And if you're feeling adventurous, the true coaster credit goldmine is China. And over there it's not just a bunch of kiddie coaster crap either (although pretty much every Chinese public city park does come equipped with a Jungle Mouse or two so they're not to be sniffed at!) There are tons of major Chinese parks opening very often as the country is experiencing something of a theme park boom at the moment. On top of obvious destination parks like Shanghai Disneyland and the upcoming Universal Beijing you have regional behemoths like Happy Valley, Fantawild and Sunac all operating some high class theme park attractions across the country all with healthy coaster line-ups as well as ridiculous OTT Chinese theming and shows, so it's not as comically soul-destroying as collecting Caterpillar Creds along the British coastlines.

Although these tips will certainly help increase your count, as I mentioned at the start the biggest factor is time. When I first started counting coasters I was 17 and had a count of less than 100, and it took me 11 years to reach the 1000 milestone. Unless you win the lottery or come into some insane inheritance fun or something, rapidly increasing your coaster count in just a few years isn't something achievable for most of us and I think it's important to note that although counting creds can be a great catalyst for getting out there and seeing the theme parks the world has to offer, the real joy comes from all the experiences and memories you'll get out of your pursuit. 

___

So what do you think? Were these tips helpful? Do you count coasters? Do you have any tips to help aspiring cred whores achieve their full potential? Leave me a comment, I'd love to have a chat!

Talk later xoxo,

2 comments

  1. Hey i'm a coaster enthusiast from the USA and just wanted to say I love your videos and was wondering if you could make your blog post about how to increase your coaster count into a video because I think that would be nice to have a different way of having these tips. Anyway best of luck on your cred runs this year and keep up the great work on your blog and youtube channel.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's definitely something I could look into sure! Thank you :)

      Delete