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People Break Down Their Absolute Worst Amusement Park Experiences

People Break Down Their Absolute Worst Amusement Park Experiences
Photo by Oneisha Lee on Unsplash

When I was a kid, I LOVED amusement parks and roller coasters.

Then I grew up and life happened.

There is nothing worse than being thrown up on in the Gravitron.

It just makes the whole experience a little less fun.

You know what I mean?

Redditor gakuowwanted to hear about the times people were left... unamused. They asked:

"What is your worst experience at an amusement park?"

I also have claustrophobic issues. And I once got trapped for too long at the end of one of those cyclone things. Never Again.

Son of a Wasp?

scared news anchor GIF by MashableGiphy

"A wasp got stuck in my shirt while riding Son of Beast at Kings Island. We sat on the brake run for several minutes while it stung away with abandon."

DenL4242

Towering

"I got stuck at the top of one of those 'rise up high, then drop you down' tower rides because there was a technical malfunction. We were up there for five minutes, and they apparently didn't have a speaker installed in the ride at the time, so nobody had any idea what was going on."

PM_ME_YOUR_WORRIES

Small Pause

"Last year Tokyo Disney reopened the 'It’s A Small World' ride and I went on it the day of reopen. It got stuck. For half an hour I sat there with the song blaring away in not-english, which was occasionally interrupted by the vaguely threatening announcement:"

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE HAPPIEST CRUISE THAT EVER SAILED... HAS STOPPED.”

Cavalish

Over Texas

"I was at Six Flag Over Texas in 1999, on the Roaring Rapids Ride. It's a ride where you sit in a round boat thing and splash down a concrete lazy river. Our tube looked a little low, but nothing crazy. Towards the end if the ride, it started to sink. It eventually flipped over. My dad had to swim against pumping water to save my brother and I had to hold onto a side faux rock for dear life."

"It took the employees forever to turn off the pumps. 1 lady was unable to get her seatbelts off and died. It was horrific. I remember holding on to the side singing the Titanic song to myself watching my dad disappear and reappear in the water getting to my brother. However, we ended up getting a settlement (like $100k) out of it so that was nice. The family of the woman who died got millions. Will never ride that again."

Fastthrowaway0303

Whiplash

theme park disneyland GIFGiphy

"Something happened on the teacups and they just stopped rapidly. Pretty good whiplash and a bruise on my hip. Not a fun one."

louispyb

I can't with these stories. I'm never going to Mickey's House again!

Too High

fear factor falling GIF by Endemol BeyondGiphy

"Me, a lad afraid of heights got stuck at the top of the titan for 2 F**KING HOURS at 6 flags Arlington."

User Deleted

Love Gone Wrong

"The girl I was dating in high school and I got stuck in the amusement park's 'Tunnel of Love.' Apparently, the pump that kept the water moving to propel the 'love boat' quit - and there we were, about 1/3 of the way into a long, deep tunnel, barely moving. It was a little scary, but cozy, being the only ones in the dark space at the time."

Back2Bach

First Times

"I was on a wooden rollercoaster with my sister, and it was both of our first roller coasters. She was (and still is) a scrawny little thing, and she's pretty short, so she couldn’t hold onto the railing in front with ease. She decided to hold onto the harness thing that comes down, even after I told her not to multiple times."

"About halfway through the coaster, we reach a small flat area, and she’s pulling on that harness hard, and the f**ker popped up, like completely opened so she was sitting there with nothing holding her in. I had to hold onto her for the rest of the ride, but I wasn’t a strong kid, idk how she didn’t fly out. We both love roller coasters still though so ¯_(ツ)_/¯."

swaghunter24

"Pretend"

"Mark me down as stupid. I stood in the line for the submarine ride at Disneyland for at least an hour. When we got towards the front I realized that those damned things actually go under water. I'm extremely claustrophobic so I had to bow out. I guess I thought maybe you stayed above water and were in 'pretend' water."

RonSwansonsOldMan

Blood

Roller Coaster Drinking GIFGiphy

"My dad and I went on a roller coaster a few weeks after he'd had stomach surgery."

"The attendant pushed down the safety bar a little too hard on my dad and when the ride was over, his shirt was soaked with blood. The push had ripped some of his stitches. He was fine. I was actually freaking out more, but bright side, the park gave him a free shirt."

totallyworkinghere

Those Days

"When I used to work at one. Every other customer had a death with. They didn’t want to follow safety rules which was really stressful. Also, if someone got hurt on a ride, they could sue the operator as well as the company. At minimum wage, it really wasn’t worth it."

"Guest: Why is the safety harnesses so tight?!!"

"Me: Because I’m whipping you into the air 120 miles per hour on a ride made by a company notorious for killing people! Why do you think?"

REDDIT

Just the two of us...

"Some place in Wisconsin, probably the dells. Couple years ago. One of those giant family slides, where you're inside a tube on a floaty with 4 people. The weight balance was off, as a teeny me was facing my grandpa. Just the two of us. He went down and I went up. Or should I say off."

"Didn't hurt, but terrifying when the next group on a floaty jam packed comes flying at you so you have to sprint through flowing water towards your 200 pond grandfather who is desperately trying to slow down. That was a fun experience. 10/10 recommend will do again."

FreezerburntLab

didn't even touch me...

"Oh, probably the time I almost got thrown out of a coaster. I had been wanting to go on it forever and had finally met the minimum height requirement- was still tiny though. Got in and the person who had been sitting before me was huge, so the belt was basically no existent, the lap bar didn't even touch me, and no one checked me before starting the ride."

"The adult next to me held on to me with both arms after I flew halfway out on the first turn. I also had my toes boiled once, but that was just painful, not nearly deadly."

Saltwaterblood

In the Rain

disney sneezing GIFGiphy

"I was riding the Dumbo ride at Disney World that was still operating in the rain. So much water had accumulated that it was up to our knees in our seats."

SheZowRaisedByWolves

I Pity You

"Splash mountain, Or at least that really big one- may have the name wrong, was Disneyland some two decades ago or there about. Turns out that while I'm not good with heights I'm worse the higher it gets. It went from begging to be allowed to get off to trying to get my parents to preform a very late term abortion to spare me from it. I feel pity for the people riding with us, honestly."

REDDIT

That Day

My ex boyfriend was short tempered, stubborn, mean among other things. He thought it would be a good idea to take his autistic little brother (15 years old) to six flags. As expected it was a disaster my ex is not able to deal with his brother's behaviors. This was the first time I had met his brother. We ended up leaving early and ughhh it was awful. I felt so awkward and sad for his brother. I was scared of my ex so I kept my thoughts to myself. I hate thinking of that day."

"ileeny12

Wasped

"At Carowinds in NC when I was 9. Standing in line for rollercoaster (can't remember name) and wasp starts flying around my head. I swat at it, it stings me not once... not twice... three times in a row on my right hand. Extremely painful. By the time we got to the first aid kiosk my hand had swollen to the size of a grapefruit."

"Went to the doctor later that day and at this point my fingers were so swollen I could not pick anything up with my right hand or even wiggle my fingers. Actually got a doctor's note excusing me from completing homework until the swelling subsided. Still tried to do my homework left handed though but that SUCKED."

AudiTech226

The Witness

A Goofy Movie Reaction GIFGiphy

"When I was 7, I was at Disney standing in line for the Goofy Airplane ride. The guy in front of us suddenly dropped into a full on seizure. To a 7 year old with no prior exposure to something like that, I was terrified."

torioreo824

Just GO!

"I was on a class trip to six flags and a whole bunch of us were on one of those circular rides where you stand against the outside edge and it spins around all over the place. Apparently it’s called a Round Up. THE RIDE GOT STUCK IN THE 'GO' POSITION. They were able to get the platform back level on the ground, but we just kept f**king spinning and spinning."

"It was probably only 5 minutes but it felt like FOREVER. We were just all staring at each other bewildered, people were turning pale/clearly disoriented. I puked and had to go sit on the coach bus for the rest of the day. I will never get on that ride again."

ladylabradorite

That's why you have to be careful with these rides!

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People Reveal The Weirdest Thing About Themselves

Reddit user Isitjustmedownhere asked: 'Give an example; how weird are you really?'

Let's get one thing straight: no one is normal. We're all weird in our own ways, and that is actually normal.

Of course, that doesn't mean we don't all have that one strange trait or quirk that outweighs all the other weirdness we possess.

For me, it's the fact that I'm almost 30 years old, and I still have an imaginary friend. Her name is Sarah, she has red hair and green eyes, and I strongly believe that, since I lived in India when I created her and there were no actual people with red hair around, she was based on Daphne Blake from Scooby-Doo.

I also didn't know the name Sarah when I created her, so that came later. I know she's not really there, hence the term 'imaginary friend,' but she's kind of always been around. We all have conversations in our heads; mine are with Sarah. She keeps me on task and efficient.

My mom thinks I'm crazy that I still have an imaginary friend, and writing about her like this makes me think I may actually be crazy, but I don't mind. As I said, we're all weird, and we all have that one trait that outweighs all the other weirdness.

Redditors know this all too well and are eager to share their weird traits.

It all started when Redditor Isitjustmedownhere asked:

"Give an example; how weird are you really?"

Monsters Under My Bed

"My bed doesn't touch any wall."

"Edit: I guess i should clarify im not rich."

– Practical_Eye_3600

"Gosh the monsters can get you from any angle then."

– bikergirlr7

"At first I thought this was a flex on how big your bedroom is, but then I realized you're just a psycho 😁"

– zenOFiniquity8

Can You See Why?

"I bought one of those super-powerful fans to dry a basement carpet. Afterwards, I realized that it can point straight up and that it would be amazing to use on myself post-shower. Now I squeegee my body with my hands, step out of the shower and get blasted by a wide jet of room-temp air. I barely use my towel at all. Wife thinks I'm weird."

– KingBooRadley

Remember

"In 1990 when I was 8 years old and bored on a field trip, I saw a black Oldsmobile Cutlass driving down the street on a hot day to where you could see that mirage like distortion from the heat on the road. I took a “snapshot” by blinking my eyes and told myself “I wonder how long I can remember this image” ….well."

– AquamarineCheetah

"Even before smartphones, I always take "snapshots" by blinking my eyes hoping I'll remember every detail so I can draw it when I get home. Unfortunately, I may have taken so much snapshots that I can no longer remember every detail I want to draw."

"Makes me think my "memory is full.""

– Reasonable-Pirate902

Same, Same

"I have eaten the same lunch every day for the past 4 years and I'm not bored yet."

– OhhGoood

"How f**king big was this lunch when you started?"

– notmyrealnam3

Not Sure Who Was Weirder

"Had a line cook that worked for us for 6 months never said much. My sous chef once told him with no context, "Baw wit da baw daw bang daw bang diggy diggy." The guy smiled, left, and never came back."

– Frostygrunt

Imagination

"I pace around my house for hours listening to music imagining that I have done all the things I simply lack the brain capacity to do, or in some really bizarre scenarios, I can really get immersed in these imaginations sometimes I don't know if this is some form of schizophrenia or what."

– RandomSharinganUser

"I do the same exact thing, sometimes for hours. When I was young it would be a ridiculous amount of time and many years later it’s sort of trickled off into almost nothing (almost). It’s weird but I just thought it’s how my brain processes sh*t."

– Kolkeia

If Only

"Even as an adult I still think that if you are in a car that goes over a cliff; and right as you are about to hit the ground if you jump up you can avoid the damage and will land safely. I know I'm wrong. You shut up. I'm not crying."

– ShotCompetition2593

Pet Food

"As a kid I would snack on my dog's Milkbones."

– drummerskillit

"Haha, I have a clear memory of myself doing this as well. I was around 3 y/o. Needless to say no one was supervising me."

– Isitjustmedownhere

"When I was younger, one of my responsibilities was to feed the pet fish every day. Instead, I would hide under the futon in the spare bedroom and eat the fish food."

– -GateKeep-

My Favorite Subject

"I'm autistic and have always had a thing for insects. My neurotypical best friend and I used to hang out at this local bar to talk to girls, back in the late 90s. One time he claimed that my tendency to circle conversations back to insects was hurting my game. The next time we went to that bar (with a few other friends), he turned and said sternly "No talking about bugs. Or space, or statistics or other bullsh*t but mainly no bugs." I felt like he was losing his mind over nothing."

"It was summer, the bar had its windows open. Our group hit it off with a group of young ladies, We were all chatting and having a good time. I was talking to one of these girls, my buddy was behind her facing away from me talking to a few other people."

"A cloudless sulphur flies in and lands on little thing that holds coasters."

"Cue Jordan Peele sweating gif."

"The girl notices my tension, and asks if I am looking at the leaf. "Actually, that's a lepidoptera called..." I looked at the back of my friend's head, he wasn't looking, "I mean a butterfly..." I poked it and it spread its wings the girl says "oh that's a BUG?!" and I still remember my friend turning around slowly to look at me with chastisement. The ONE thing he told me not to do."

"I was 21, and was completely not aware that I already had a rep for being an oddball. It got worse from there."

– Phormicidae

*Teeth Chatter*

"I bite ice cream sometimes."

RedditbOiiiiiiiiii

"That's how I am with popsicles. My wife shudders every single time."

monobarreller

Never Speak Of This

"I put ice in my milk."

– GTFOakaFOD

"You should keep that kind of thing to yourself. Even when asked."

– We-R-Doomed

"There's some disturbing sh*t in this thread, but this one takes the cake."

– RatonaMuffin

More Than Super Hearing

"I can hear the television while it's on mute."

– Tira13e

"What does it say to you, child?"

– Mama_Skip

Yikes!

"I put mustard on my omelettes."

– Deleted User

"Oh."

– NotCrustOr-filling

Evened Up

"Whenever I say a word and feel like I used a half of my mouth more than the other half, I have to even it out by saying the word again using the other half of my mouth more. If I don't do it correctly, that can go on forever until I feel it's ok."

"I do it silently so I don't creep people out."

– LesPaltaX

"That sounds like a symptom of OCD (I have it myself). Some people with OCD feel like certain actions have to be balanced (like counting or making sure physical movements are even). You should find a therapist who specializes in OCD, because they can help you."

– MoonlightKayla

I totally have the same need for things to be balanced! Guess I'm weird and a little OCD!

Close up face of a woman in bed, staring into the camera
Photo by Jen Theodore

Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.

Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?

But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.

It would be so great to be sure there is something else.

But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.

Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:

"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"

Sensations

Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy

"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."

PeachesnPain

Recovery

"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."

"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."

"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."

good_golly99

Take Me Back

"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."

"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."

rayrayrayray

Free

The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy

"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."

TooReDTooHigh

This is why I hate surgery.

You just never know.

Shocked

Giphy

"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."

Admirable_Buyer6528

The SOB

"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."

"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”

1-cupcake-at-a-time

Colors

"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"

Hannah_LL7

"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"

huntokarrr

The Fog

"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."

"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."

Fluffy-Hotel-5184

Through the Walls

"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."

"She's quite alive and well today."

Hot-Refrigerator6583

Well let's all be happy to be alive.

It seems to be all we have.

Man's waist line
Santhosh Vaithiyanathan/Unsplash

Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.

The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.

Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.

Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:

"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"

Redditors didn't see these coming.

Shiver Me Timbers

"I’m always cold now!"

– Telrom_1

"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."

– r7ndom

"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."

– mr_remy

Drawing Concern

"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."

– dee-fondy

"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"

"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."

– LizardofDeath

Unleashing Insults

"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”

"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."

– alanamablamaspama

Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight

"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."

– KeltarCentauri

"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."

– KatMagic1977

"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."

– Jaew96

These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.

Shopping

"I can buy clothes in any store I want."

– WaySavvyD

"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."

– ganache98012

No More Symptoms

"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."

– colleennicole93

Expanding Capabilities

"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."

– Ramblonius

People Change Their Tune

"How much nicer people are to you."

"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"

– LiZZygsu

"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"

"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"

– awholedamngarden

It's gonna take some getting used to.

Bones Everywhere

"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."

– Princess-Pancake-97

"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."

– bekastrange

Knee Pillow

"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."

– snic2030

"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."

– Strongbad23

More Mobility

"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."

"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."

– dma1965

People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.

But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.

That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.