Beginner's guide to roller coaster/trip planning?

[kneehowguys]

Has anyone compiled something like this? ​

Most likely I need to use better phrases to google to find guides.
I'm getting a lot of roller coaster tycoon video game guide links:
https://www.google.com/search?ei=xV...1......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71.rDxs5jEAx3s

Has someone made a guide with straight forward tips on stuff like:
- What time of year to go
- Stuff helpful to bring that might be non obvious
- Tips for maximizing time on rides
- making waiting in line less miserable (e.g. I hear that some amusement parks are specifically trying to make long line waits have some interactivity/entertainment in them?)
- hotels/staying/fun stuff to do in evenings/night
- tips on minimizing costs

?

 

[lachlan]

Has anyone compiled something like this? ​

Most likely I need to use better phrases to google to find guides.
I'm getting a lot of roller coaster tycoon video game guide links:
https://www.google.com/search?ei=xV...1......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71.rDxs5jEAx3s

Has someone made a guide with straight forward tips on stuff like:
- What time of year to go
- Stuff helpful to bring that might be non obvious
- Tips for maximizing time on rides
- making waiting in line less miserable (e.g. I hear that some amusement parks are specifically trying to make long line waits have some interactivity/entertainment in them?)
- hotels/staying/fun stuff to do in evenings/night
- tips on minimizing costs

?

Do you have an area/park in mind? Maybe search "trip report" and park names might get you better results

 

[EpochEmu]

making waiting in line less miserable

Sorry man, but sometimes you just have to tough it out, especially at places like Disney. If you ride near closing or opening, the lines may be shorter (and just go to parks in a weekday, it’s much less busy than a weekend). That goes for other parks beside Disney too. I don’t really think you need a wheelchair if you’re not disabled.

 

[mouse]

If you have any particular parks in mind its definitely worth searching through the Trip Reports section of this forum. They are full of detailed reports on how members have tackled various parks and are full of advice on how to do so yourself. Its also worth looking through the Trip Planning forum - you'll find a lot of these questions have already been answered there in detail.

 

[Snoo]

Has anyone compiled something like this? ​

Most likely I need to use better phrases to google to find guides.
I'm getting a lot of roller coaster tycoon video game guide links:
https://www.google.com/search?ei=xV...1......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71.rDxs5jEAx3s

Has someone made a guide with straight forward tips on stuff like:
- What time of year to go
- Stuff helpful to bring that might be non obvious
- Tips for maximizing time on rides
- making waiting in line less miserable (e.g. I hear that some amusement parks are specifically trying to make long line waits have some interactivity/entertainment in them?)
- hotels/staying/fun stuff to do in evenings/night
- tips on minimizing costs

?

Yeah I'd definitely be specific on where you're going and simply ask in the Trip Planning topic as mentioned. Most people on Coasterforce have undertaken multiple park trips across Europe, North America, and Asia on numerous occasions. Most of the time, if you ask "hey, I'm looking to do XXXX for 2 weeks in May, what do you think?", you will get a number of solid replies as this website is definitely worldwide.

 

[MestnyiGeroi]

There’s a book (with a 2018 edition) called _Amusement Park Hacks_. It’s not well written (I mean, it doesn’t even seem proofread), and seasoned enthusiasts would find it to be giving a lot of advice they already know, BUT it is an answer to your question, because it is most appropriate for beginners — budding enthusiasts who want to plan their first trips.

Also, I think this is a good vid with basic tips:

 

[Antinos]

When it comes to trips, I lump everything into three major categories with numerous subticks each:

• What parks or attractions are you visiting?
  • What is the cost of admission?
  • Can I leverage any of my season passes?
    
  • When do the parks open and close?
  • Is parking free or is there a fee?
• How are you traveling about?
  • If traveling by car, how much is gas?
  • If traveling by public transit, how much are tickets and when does the bus/train/subway depart and arrive?
    
  • How long does it take to get between parks?
  • What is the most efficient route for the trip?
  • How long will the trip take? (how many days of work/class will I need to take off?) How expensive are flights, if needed?
    
  • Are there any events or holidays in the locales where I'm headed?
  • Can I leverage any business holidays to save vacation time?
• What sort of lodging will I need?
  • At what point shall I plan to stop for the night? (AKA avoid four hour drives after you exit a park at closing if you can avoid it)
  • Hotel or AirBnB?
  • How many nights will I be staying in each location?
  • How many rooms will I need to book?

Probably the most important factor is how many people you'll be traveling with, as that will influence your parking, gas, and lodging costs. What I've noticed in my trip planning is that number of attendees exhibits a climbing sawtooth function - the cost per person decreases as the number of attendees increases (sharing lodging, gas, parking, etc) until you run out of space in your vehicles and need an additional hotel room. The most efficient way to travel on a road trip is with group sizes that are multiples of four.

Last summer, a group of us accidentally developed a really good trip planning spreadsheet while planning a Toronto trip. Over the past year, I've been improving it by adding more logic. If people are interested, I can share it.