Weekly Topic #5

This week's topic asks a fairly simple question: does theming on a coaster matter to you?

Obviously there is a spectrum of sorts involved in what constitutes the theming on a ride. A ride with no theming would be something along the lines of Steel Force at Dorney Park. There's no attempt at all of a theme, it has a nicely done sign but that's about it.

Then you have rides like Tony Hawk's Big Spin at the Six Flags parks. Here you have an attraction that has a loose theme, but not one that translates to the entire ride. It has a themed entrance and queue, and there is a general 'idea' to the attraction - but at the end it's still a car on the steel rails and not much else.

© Trent McClaskey via R.C.D.B.

Next I'd say there is a bracket of coasters that are like Superman Escape at Warner Brothers Movie World in Australia. Here with have a storyline, themed queue, partially themed ride, and then at the end again just steel rails.

Finally, we have the coasters that are themed to a high level. Here we have attractions such as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Expedition Everest from Disney, and technically I'd even say the new Dark Knight coasters at Six Flags this year.

All that considered, does theming really matter to you as a coaster rider? Are the millions that are sometimes spent on theming a ride really worth it for the parks?

To me, in a word, yes. For my personal preference, theming adds a ton to the ride. I think that it sparks a rider's imagination and makes things far more interesting. I'm probably pretty far at the end of the spectrum on this one; I'd even say that I would rather have a lesser physical ride in order to have more theming.

Do you agree? Would you rather have a Steel Force, a big hyper coaster, or a Dark Knight, basically a Wild Mouse in a box with lots of theming?

Check back for other site's replies.
Theme Park Village
A Walk In The Park Blog
The Coaster Critic's Blog
Coasterdom