How do you convince someone to ride a roller coaster?!?!

I am currently planning my epic trip to CP this year in September. It's going to be about 12 of us for my CP B-Day roadtrip from Richmond, VA. But there is a problem... A big problem! My new girlfriend hasn't been on a roller coaster since the Scooby Doo at Kings Dominion when she 6! She is terrified because she stated that she almost fell out. She wants to come with the group, but said she WILL NOT ride anything. How can we convince her that the times have changed with safety and the smothness of rides? I think if we get her on 1 ride, she will love it! What would be a perfect coaster for her to get on at CP? What are some white lies we can tell her to change her mind?

Does anyone have any good stories on how they convinced someone to ride a coaster unwillingly? Do you think TTD would be a good choice? LOL I am obviously being sarcastic about TTD

Obviously, you would need to pick a coaster that doesn't look too intimidating. So forget the mega-giants. Probably not DT either, since it's dark (an element which can amplify fear in those already experiencing it). And not a woodie, since that would shoot down your 'smoothness' argument. So that rules out BS.

You may be lookng at Woodstock Express, in all honesty.

It might be simpler just to get a new girlfriend. ;)

I would start on Maverick. But walk around from Gemini instead of Frontier Trail so she doesn't see a train shooting out of the tunnel. It's smooth, its not tall, and it has OTSR which would help with a feeling of security. Once she's over that, the rest will be a cinch.

Woodstock Express is too little-kiddie. It might be a good one to go on but maybe a bit weird. And I have to strongly disagree with Maverick. If she's a beginner to coasters, the launches on Maverick will probably be too intense for her. I know many people disagree with me, but I don't like Maverick because it knocks me back and forth a bit too much, especially on the rolls, of which there are obviously quite a few. If you really want her to enjoy her time there and to ride the coasters, start with thrill rides. Not many of the thrill rides are intense, and they'll prepare her for the coasters.

You obviously can't go with a large coaster, or one that's too fast. In my opinion, Iron Dragon would be perfect. Not very fast, or very tall. The hanging cars make you feel secure. You can hold any belongings with you on the ride, it's so calm. It also feels super secure, with shoulder restraints.

Not my favorite ride, but Cedar Creek Mine Ride would be good too. All of my friends that don't like coasters have ridden it and love it. It doesn't drop right away, so it never gathers too much speed, and the helixes at the end are super bearable.

If she likes these (and/or doesn't freak out) I think Wildcat would also be fun. Low speeds, simple twists and turns, and only 50 feet high.

So, there you go, and I hope you guys love your Cedar Point trip as much as I always do! Maybe we can create another Ride Warrior out of her = ).

Ensign Smith said:
It might be simpler just to get a new girlfriend. ;)

I've already suggested that this relationship might not work out... She didn't like that joke too much! She gave me an instantaneous karate chop to the adams apple. I like the Maverick idea... I want to put her on a ride that is pretty intense and Maverick I think is perfect. It's smooth, fast and not very tall at all. I agree with the launch being intense, but if she handle that... she definitely can handle TTD and MF.

I was in the same situation as you with one my ex's. Basically, all I had to do was be pretty lovey-dovey with her and make sure she knew that I would be right there next to her the whole time and she was good. She was scared, but she wanted to make me happy, so she gave it a shot, and now she's an addict.

Helpful tip: let her hold on to your hand the whole time, and tell her if she gets scared, just to squeeze as hard as she wants. Trust me, it makes her feel better, and while you may have to suffer losing blood-flow to your hand temporarily, its worth it to see the smile on her face at the end of the ride.

What are some white lies we can tell her to change her mind?

Wouldn't recommend this. :)

I have a nephew, who is terrified of rides, any rides. even merry go rounds.

Every visit to every park, including disney parks, were torcher for everyone with him there; until everyone came to one conclusion.

Leave him alone, he don't want to ride, don't make him ride,.. As long as we didn't bug him about riding, he was pleasent to get along with.

Maybe your girlfriend will be fine just being there, and letting you ride without her, and she will have a good time too.

Yeah I hear ya PB-Reader, but what is the fun in that?! I think if she has a couple of brews to calm the nerves she should be ok... I think another good thing is to put her in the front row so she can see everything in front of her and there are no surprises. Except for the Maverick tunnel, but I am going to warn her about the blast off when we start traveling up the lift...

I have encountered the same "dilema" that you are in as my girlfriend had never been on a rollercoaster, and was quite leery about them but still wanted to ride at least one when she came on a Cedar Point trip a few years ago. Here are my tips:
1) Don't forget about the flats!
2) Be 100% honest about what the ride does and let her choose if she wants to ride or not.
3) Don't push/guilt her onto rides. (this tactic almost never ends well)
4) Remember you are there to have fun, different people have fun in different ways. You have fun riding coasters, she might have fun riding flats. (in other words compromise :) )
5) If she does end up wanting to ride a coaster then I would suggest starting out with CCMR or Iron Dragon. (don't forget about tip #2 and 3 though before getting in line)

Leave them at home.

Don't tell any lies, and listen to what she has to say about why she is afraid. Don't frame any if her fears...as irrational as they may be to you...as stupid, silly, etc...that won't get you anywhere.

I'm only in the business of helping people who sincerely want to change, but there is some room for pushing someone who is reluctant as long as its by someone that the person knows genuinely cares about him/her.

Forcing a situation or trickery will most likely backfire as others have noted; and could in fact just make things worse. The approach of starting small and going from there (along with some supportive peer pressure) is a good approach, but like Ensign said, you're going for smooth, so BS is out...I would recommend Mine Ride or Iron Dragon as good starting points.

You could talk "safety" until you are blue in the face, but until she has an experience that counteracts her beliefs, you'll be getting nowhere. :)

I always like to watch Final Destination 3 before we go to the parks. You know, the movie about how a bunch of teenagers get killed on a rollercoaster? :)

This probably won't help you much but one time my friends and I convinced a self described "science nerd" who hated coasters to ride the Dragster because it was "the closest thing to space travel." Pretty sure he was crying when the train moved up to the start lights lol

Just give her incentives for riding the coasters. If she rides Woodstock Express, she gets a kiss on the cheek. If she rides TTD... ;)

The perfect starting coaster is Iron Dragon. Though I agree with Ensign that the darkness of Disaster Transport might scare her, I swear it seems that everyone afraid of roller coasters just ends up loving it. Mine Ride is pretty tame, but it can be a bit jerky for some people.

i agree on maverick, it doesnt look intimidating, but its fun,....and since your in virginia, why start her out with kings dominion, get her prepared...you two should go there and start with volcano, backlot stunt coaster etc...cedar point can be overwhelming for the first time for her

My fiancee has never ridden a coaster either, until this past weekend. I've been telling her she will really enjoy them and I've been showing her POVs of the coasters at CP. That has helped her understand the movements but it gives her no idea of the feeling. Saginaw, Mi has a small coaster similar to Wildcat that is at Kokomo's called The Serpent. It's been running for about a week now for the season and I took her on it over this past weekend. She was excited and had an idea in her head of how it was going to be. Then we went down the first drop (of 50') and her hand grabbed my leg so hard I thought she broke skin. After we came up the next hill, she grabbed on to the bars on the front of the car and never let go. After it was over, she said she loved it and can't wait for the CP trip but it was different than she expected. Having never experienced G forces at all, she said those POVs don't do it justice. Now she has a little fear and anxiety about riding MF and TTD, but who doesn't. She says she's ready and can't wait. I'm looking forward to seeing her reaction and we both agreed that Maverick will be her first ride of the day. It has speed, airtime, back and forth movements, it goes upside down, isn't too tall, and has a launch. We feel it will give her a little of everything before we move onto the height. I'll let you know how she does...it'll be in May when she gets her first taste. But my advice out of all of this is get her on something small that's close (if its available) and give her an idea of what to expect.

Here's some advice from someone who used to be terrified of roller coasters...

1. This is the first and most important tip: Give them time. I know it may not be ideal but when someone is "terrified" of roller coasters, they are not going to ride one then be ready to ride them all. It took me 3 years after the Raptor was released to build up the courage to ride it. This can be seen as a good thing... every year she can promise to ride a new roller coaster and it will give you and her something to look forward to each year.

2. Everyone is different. For my brother it was the feeling in his stomach when going down the hills he did not like. For me it was the fear of the train getting stuck and having to walk down the stairs (the thought still terrifies me). For others it's going upside down, or the train falling off of the rail. Find what it is that she's afraid of and try to minimize the fear as much as possible.

3. Start small. It's pretty obvious and I think that's why many people become afraid of roller coasters. They've ridden a roller coaster that was way more intense than they were prepared for and it scared them for life. From your post I would definitely recommend the Iron Dragon. It's smooth, and it has the over the shoulder harness to make her feel protected.

4. Make a deal. Tell her that if she rides the Iron Dragon and does not like it you will not ask her to ride another roller coaster. This way she will know that if she doesn't like it she will not be hassled the entire trip to ride every coaster.

5. Make sure the line is short. The longer the line the more chances she gets to change her mind... it's like a Band Aid... Right off!

6. No means no. If she does not even want to try one coaster... give it up. There is no sense in trying to trick her as you would probably make her even more terrified of roller coasters. Just let her know that you want her to enjoy the trip.

The good news is Cedar Point is the perfect place to learn to love roller coasters.

I'm not sure Iron Dragon is necessarily the best first choice. Yes, it's smooth and the harnesses are confidence-building. But the fact remains that it's a suspended coaster, and the cars swing back and forth with the curve of the track and the momentum of the train. Maybe this isn't something that would ever bother an enthusiast, but I'm not convinced the effect wouldn't be unnerving to someone terrified to begin with.

Edit: this is a good question for Kevin. Have you received any comments or complaints to that effect from your phobic students?

All I can say is that in 2 years, we have a 100% success rate, and this includes individuals who have literally never even gotten on a roller-coaster. Each year we have started with Mine Ride, and Iron Dragon was second (last year it was down and Wildcat became second)...and students have described these as the perfect "starters".

I use the gradual build-up...but mind you the day at the park is merely the last step in the whole process. The students have had a month's worth of pseudo therapy sessions as a group where we work on relaxation, combating their irrational beliefs, etc...

I can't emphasize the "taking it seriously" point enough. If you're sarcastic, remove that part of your brain temporarily if you really want to help.