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 gakuow wanted 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 Mashable
Giphy
"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 GIF
Giphy
"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 Beyond
Giphy
"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 GIF
Giphy
"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?"
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 GIF
Giphy
"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."
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 GIF
Giphy
"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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The old wives' tales.
They are the stories of legend.
I think we all need a big DEEP Google dive though.
Where did they originate?
WHO ARE THE OLD WIVES!
You don't hear about them as much anymore.
It's like science and logic are suddenly a thing.
But they sure are a good way to keep your kids and their behavior in line.
Redditor the_spring_goddess wanted to discuss the tall tales we've all been fed through life, so they asked:
"What is an old wives tale that people still believe?"
"Wait an hour to swim after eating."
What a crock!
So many summer hours wasted.
I want revenge for that one.
Say Nothing
Giphy
"An undercover cop has to tell you he's a cop if you ask him."
LonelyMail5115
"Pretty much most advice when it comes to cops are old wives tales. I’m not even a cop but most of the advice you hear is pretty off."
I_AM_AN_A**HOLE_AMA
Say Something
"That you have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing."
Severe_Airport1426
"I really think this one is important and should be the top regardless. As it’s a piece of advice that needs to be relearned and the only way to do that is through awareness."
crappycurtains
"This used to be true. I think they changed it after some guy named Brandon went missing back in the '80s or '70s. You used to have to wait 24 hours if the missing person was an adult because they had 'a right to be missing' and then everyone realized that was stupid and stopped doing it."
AlbinoShavedGorilla
Body Temps
"That drinking ice cold water after eating oily foods will solidify the oil and permanently remain in your body. I informed my coworker that if your body temperature ever reached that point, you’d have bigger problems than weight gain."
chriseo22
"Oh, I have a cousin who 100% believed this. One of those guys who believed every early 2000s internet rumor and old wives tale. One night I chugged a big glass of ice water after dinner and he started freaking out and saying my guts were gonna harden."
"I sarcastically told him to drive me to the hospital if that happened. Obviously, nothing happened and the next morning I said something like 'Thanks for being on standby in case my guts filled with hardened oil.' He just walked off muttering under his breath."
apocalypticradish
Arms Down
"When I was pregnant, I was told by young and old alike that I should NOT raise my arms above my head or exert myself in such a manner because it could cause cord strangulation to my unborn sons and daughters."
Fatmouse84
10 Years Actually
Unimpressed Uh Huh GIF by Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Giphy
"Chewing gum stays in your stomach for 7 years."
"I remember accidentally swallowing a piece of gum when I was a kid in like 1995 and just accepting my fate like welp, gonna have this in my stomach til high school I guess."
Gecko-911
I was so afraid to sallow my gum when I was young.
This tale is haunting.
High/Low
Hungry Debra Messing GIF by Will & Grace
Giphy
"You can tell the sex of the baby by how you carry."
LeastFormal9366
"Pregnancy certainly wins awards for the most old wives tales. So much absolute BS was repeated to us by everyone we talked to."
IllIIIlIllIlIIlIllI
The Cursed
"If you’re a woman and you wear opal jewelry but opal is not your birthstone (October), you’ll never be able to have children, or will be widowed, or just generally have bad luck or something. You can counteract this by having a diamond in the same piece of jewelry as the opal, though."
"I have a nice opal ring that my parents gave me years ago, and I’ve had other women give me this 'advice' unprompted more than once when I’ve worn it. I have absolutely no idea where it started, but I’m pretty sure this little chunk of silicate rock has no concept of what month I was born in, let alone of how my reproductive organs work."
SmoreOfBabylon
Stay In
"Going outside with wet hair will make you get pneumonia. Or an earache. Or maybe arthritis. Depends on which old wife you listen to."
"Jokes on them - I haven't blow-dried my hair in decades and usually leave the house with wet hair in the morning. On winter mornings, the tips of my hair get frozen. No ear infections or pneumonia or arthritis yet."
worldbound0514
Dreams and Facts
"You never make anyone up in your dreams you've seen everyone in your dreams somewhere else before and never make anyone up entirely."
"How would you possibly prove that to be true? My partner adamantly believes this and tells me this 'fact' whenever I have a dream about someone I've never met before."
mattshonestreddit
"My late wife used to tell me that before she met me she would have dreams of standing at an alter on her wedding day but could never see the guy's face, no matter how hard she tried. After meeting me the face was filled in with mine. Don't know if it's true but one of those things I like thinking of every now and then when I miss her."
Darthdemented
Cracked
Getting Ready Episode 2 GIF by The Office
Giphy
"Some people still believe cracking knuckles causes arthritis."
Choice-Grapefruit-44
"There's a doctor (Donald Unger) that cracked his knuckles a couple of times a day for 60 years, but only on one hand, just to prove it. Both hands remained exactly the same."
MacyTmcterry
I love my knuckles.
Do you have any tall tales to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.
