Vote of the Week: What Makes You Mad?

By Robert Niles: At Theme Park Insider, we've long encouraged readers to keep a positive attitude whenever they visit a theme park. Vacations are supposed to be fun, and we've found that the attitude a person brings into his or her vacation goes a long way in influencing the experience he or she gets from that vacation.

You know you're having a good time when even the pirates are happy.

That's why we conclude our Orlando guidebooks with a section entitled "Focus on Kindness to Get the Most Enjoyment from Your Vacation." Here's an excerpt:

When you step inside a theme park, you’ve surrounded yourself with many of the nicest people you’ll ever encounter in your life — including many members of this Theme Park Insider community. Most of them are having a great time in a fun place that they love. Open up, be nice to people, and you can enjoy one of the best days of your life.

So let the other family go into the queue first. Make room for others when you walk down the street. Thank the park employees every single time they direct you on or off a ride, take your order, bring you food, refill your glass, or give you directions. Pick up your trash. Offer to take someone else’s picture. If a ride is down, don’t storm off. Say hello to the park employee at the closed ride’s entrance, and with a smile on your face, ask for his or her advice on what to do instead.

Treat a theme park like an enemy land to be conquered, and the park will fight you back. Focus on obstacles and frustrations, and pretty soon, that’s all you will see. And while you are having your inevitable mid-day meltdown, wasting time on a public shouting match, the rest of us will be going about our day, chatting with new friends, and enjoying every moment in the park.

Of course, bad stuff happens — no matter what attitude you bring to the park. A good attitude can help you get over the bad stuff and move on, but it won't prevent you from ever encountering anything potentially frustrating during your stay.

So what is it that most challenges your positive attitude when you visit a theme park? What is one thing that is most likely to tempt you to snap and get angry?

Is it having to wait a long time in line? Or is it the other people you encounter in the park, whether they be other guests or bad park employees? Do attraction breakdowns and closures — from rides to meet and greets — make you feel like your day has been ruined? Or does bad food most likely make you feel that way? What about seeing dirty, messy or poorly maintained facilities? Is that your pet peeve in a park?

Obviously, all of these things have the potential to set people off at one moment or another. For our vote of the week, please pick the one choice that is most likely to make, or most often makes, you really have to work to stay positive when you're visiting a theme park.

In the comments, vent. Tell us about your most frustrating moments in the parks, and how you managed — or failed — to overcome them.

And if you are interested, the newly updated 2015 version of our Orlando guidebook is now on sale in Kindle (US), Kindle (UK), iBooks, Nook, and paperback formats. It's a great Christmas gift for your favorite theme park fan!

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