• Replies 20 replies
  • Subscribers 91 subscribers
  • Views 673 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Do you hate Alton Towers?

IntruderAlarmAbatis

For Alton Towers, also read Flamingo Land, Lego World, Chessington World of Adventure, and any other "Theme Park"

A bit of background to the question. I've been coaching and supporting a young person today who is Autistic, is 17, and has gone to Alton Towers for the first time.  I didn't go on the trip as I've been a few times before and ***ING HATED IT BEYOND EMOTIONAL POSSIBILITIES.  If you hate it, I don't need to explain, but "the noise" is only the tip of the iceberg. 

This young person had a terrible time, describing themselves as being overwhelmed, having to leave a shop because they were going to cry, and all the *** shame something like that feels like, being surrounded by NT peers who are loving it. One of the final comments I made to this young person was going to be along the lines of "don't worry, all Autistic people hate Alton Towers" but I didn't send it because I realised I was projecting my own thoughts and feelings onto all autistic people.

So I thought I'd ask this community if there were any types of Autism which don't mind or even LOVE Alton Towers

Parents

  • When I was a child and teenager; various family / school outings insisted on dragging me around various "theme parks" in the UK and other countries. 

    I do not enjoy those venues / their entertainments / their rides and roller coasters / their food odours / their environment / their oppressive and clamouring crowds / their twee soundtracks / their garish decor / their poor quality and expensive souvenirs / their rudimentary and oversubscribed bathrooms / their very long queues for some rides / the garbled and feedback-laden tannoy announcements / their forced "fun" / their contrived reasons to automatically take your photo and then try to peer pressure people into buying the costly photo / the often long and travel sick-inducing journey to get there / the likelihood that everyone else wants our visitor group to be there for far too nany hours.

    I may have forgotten some other odious-to-me parameter(s)!

    Suffice it to say; as an adult: I have managed to avoid attending theme parks (despite workplace teams sometimes suggesting them as part of "team-building" events).

    Well, I guess that trip down the horror show memory lane rant was more cathartic than a ticket to any of the said theme parks!

Reply

  • When I was a child and teenager; various family / school outings insisted on dragging me around various "theme parks" in the UK and other countries. 

    I do not enjoy those venues / their entertainments / their rides and roller coasters / their food odours / their environment / their oppressive and clamouring crowds / their twee soundtracks / their garish decor / their poor quality and expensive souvenirs / their rudimentary and oversubscribed bathrooms / their very long queues for some rides / the garbled and feedback-laden tannoy announcements / their forced "fun" / their contrived reasons to automatically take your photo and then try to peer pressure people into buying the costly photo / the often long and travel sick-inducing journey to get there / the likelihood that everyone else wants our visitor group to be there for far too nany hours.

    I may have forgotten some other odious-to-me parameter(s)!

    Suffice it to say; as an adult: I have managed to avoid attending theme parks (despite workplace teams sometimes suggesting them as part of "team-building" events).

    Well, I guess that trip down the horror show memory lane rant was more cathartic than a ticket to any of the said theme parks!

Children
  • in reply to DormouseAtRest_25

    Rofl - yep, I was there.

    Part of my WhatsApp support to this young person involved me going off on just such a rant.

    The big one for me is Sociological Conformity, like being in some dystopian "Black Mirror" with people acting in bizarre ways just because they're in a theme park and no one stops to consider why they're doing it.  Then if you ask them "Why were you putting your arms in the air on that rollercoaster, I don't understand" you're looked at like you're the idiot for not just going along with it.

    Queuing LITERALLY for THREE AND A HALF HOURS to go on The Smiler (when it first opened) - we were only there for 4 hours.

    No!... you nearly dragged me into another rant there, just breathe... carry on