Wearing Glasses At Parks

[Harv]

As you may or may not know, I permanently wear glasses and when visiting theme parks this always proves a bit of a faff. Obviously I can't wear them when on rides as I don't want to risk damage but where am I supposed to put them? I don't like carrying bags around too much, and there is rarely a place to put them.

I wondered what the people of TST with their glasses and other items when riding as at many parks there are not lockers/safe storage and it's becoming a right pain in the buttocks.

Any suggestions?

 

[Jonathan]

I believe some members use something which means they can keep their glasses on during the whole ride and not worry about them falling off. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but I think your best bet would be to ask Islander, John or bench.addict.

 

[Spike]

I have worn glasses since being an enthusiast and never taken them off on any ride ever, unless required/asked to.

If its not Rita, Stealth or Apocalypse - which I am happy to remove on - I always ask why? I've been riding coasters with glasses on for about 15 years and never have they ever come off, not even close.

There have been rule changes which I've questioned before Ie Avalanche & Shockwave but they have both reverted back on my next visit. I often get asked if they're "safe and secured" which is fine and I always say "yes".

I used to own a coaster strap but would always forget it as they were only for the 3 rides mentioned above.

 

[MiserableMonkey]

I've always taken mine off and placed them in my jeans pocket, lenses against my skin. Haven't had a problem yet *touch wood*

I have become "more daring" ( ;D ) in recent years, leaving them on for most rides except those I deem a big risk (Rita, Stealth, Slammer, Colossus, Pepsi Max Big One, Oblivion etc)

The only ride I've nearly lost them on was Valhalla

 

[Maya]

I've always put them in a zip up pocket or bag Or, just get contacts! I wear them full time, however daily ones are perfect for themeparks- no hassle at all!

 

[Rocket]

I'm investing in what islander uses which is a glasses strap which you put round your head so that they don't fall off mid ride.

 

[Kaycee]

I always used to advise guests riding Oblivion, Spinball, Th13teen etc, that there was no need for them to take their glasses off. And there wasn't.

 

[Danny]

I'll be investing in a glasses strap for this season. The first time I rode Air and Rita I wore my glasses, but ever since, I've never worn them on either [although I'm always told to remove them by staff on Rita as I don't have a strap].

When I first rode PMBO, I didn't have the guts to wear them, yet now I always do [albeit, I hold onto them with one hand for the first drop]. So with the exception of Infusion and Avalanche [as the staff make me take them off on this also], BPB is the only park where I can do the majority of rides with them on.

I'm guessing there is quite a difference wearing a glasses strap on a ride. It'll certainly be nice to ride Bliv and Nemmy with perfect vision

 

[Spike]

The only ride I've nearly lost them on was Valhalla

OMG! I forgot about my fail moment on Vallerie!

I have lost my glasses on a ride in the station. Queuing for Valhalla a few years back I was getting my poncho and an 'whipped' it as you do to open it like a bin bag. This action ripped my glasses off my face and into the water surrounding the station. By some miracle a ride host found them with a large net. Considering the water is not clear it was a miracle.

So I lied, I have - technically - lost my glasses on a ride.

 

[Harv]

I'm so surprised that you can wear them on so many rides, I just made a guess that it wouldn't be safe. I'm glad to see that others have experience in this though, thanks for all your help, guys. Interesting stuff.

 

[Scott]

I tend to always take them off on any inverting coasters and leave them in a bag or place them in a zipped pocket. My eyesight is so poor without them that I'd be totally screwed for the rest of the day otherwise... I know it's probably fine to leave them on whilst on most rides but I would just rather not risk it.

EDIT: if anyone fancies linking me to a good strap to get though then please do, it'd be a worthwhile investment!

 

[Spike]

I tend to always take them off on any inverting coasters and leave them in a bag or place them in a zipped pocket. My eyesight is so poor without them that I'd be totally screwed for the rest of the day otherwise... I know it's probably fine to leave them on whilst on most rides but I would just rather not risk it.

You would think. My eyesight is crap without them too but they just do not fall off.

All you have to take into account is that inverting rides apply so much G-force to keep you IN your seat, what makes you think your glasses are all of a sudden defy the laws of gravity and opt for a different path and jump off your face?

They are adjusted and designed to fit your everyday life and even though being on a roller coaster is not your 'everyday life' they still are meant to sit on your face.

I would love some boffin of G-force to calculate the rate in which a sharp corner - which let's be honest is the only part of a ride they could fall off - and give us an exact G-force it would take. Baring-in-mind Nemmys first corner is the most G-Intense one. It would have to be a whip effect like a wild mouse at high speed. Just try turning your head super fast to either side and see what your glasses do. If they fall off, they need adjusting. Mine don't move a muscle and I don't expect any ride to begin to come close to that sudden turning movement.

*realises go to deep into this topic*

 

[Danny]

EDIT: if anyone fancies linking me to a good strap to get though then please do, it'd be a worthwhile investment!

This. I could do with one before the season starts

 

[Spike]

I could link you to a good strap on but I doubt it'll help you with these current problems.

In all seriousness, any spec shop like Specsavers sells them. :-*

 

[Islander]

EDIT: if anyone fancies linking me to a good strap to get though then please do, it'd be a worthwhile investment!

This. I could do with one before the season starts

Croakies (original) are what I use, can buy them all over the place online, or at Cotsworld, which is where I get mine. They come in hundreds of colours and designs.

I use them all the time at theme parks (for non-tame rides, don't bother with anything tame), and they're great. Very comfortable, very secure, perfect.

I know Bench.addict uses the same, though his are covered with the branding of a strange European park... John and Cheese use different brands, but their's seem to work equally well for them, so if you don't like the look of Croakies it might be worth asking them.

 

[Vicky]

I usually keep my specs on for non-inverting coasters and take them off for inverts, putting them in a case within my bag. I would prefer to have clear vision on rides, I left my specs on one time when riding Nemesis and they stayed on - not really much reason for them to come off, but I still remove them before riding as I just don't want to risk losing my only pair.

 

[SLC]

I've always taken mine off, as mine are regularly loose and I don't want to take the risk. That said, I've recently started wearing contact lenses for my football matches and training, so I use them for theme parks as well.

 

[Sam]

One of my favourite meet moments: riding Rita with John, and the staff asking him about his glasses. I loudly shouted "IT'S OK, THEY'RE STRAP ONS" at which point everyone on the train (of TST) people and the staff started shouting the same.

 

[Joseph]

I have glasses but never bring them too a theme park at all, the thing is though I can see perfectly normally without them.

 

[Cheese]

I used to take my glasses off for anything but the tamest of rides. I'm pretty short-sighted and I always drive to parks, so my view was always that I couldn't afford to take risks with my glasses.

I did eventually get a glasses strap, but even then I took my glasses off on the really intense stuff. Eventually I decided Nemesis wasn't going to knock an arm off them and kept them on. Since then I've been wearing them with the strap on just about everything except Ripsaw (because of the water jets, though I doubt they'd do any harm anyway) and The Ultimate (for some reason I don't trust it with my glasses).

The strap itself was from a local extreme sports shop. It's made by Julbo, and I think it's designed to keep a snowboarder's goggles or sunglasses on. It's very different to Islander's; instead of fitting over the arms, it's a length of cord with rubbery (probably silicone) loops at the end that go around the end of the arms on the glasses. There's a rubbery tag in the middle that allows the tightness to be adjusted. It's been brilliant and I'd recommend it to anyone with glasses with relatively thin arms.

I now have a new pair of glasses with the same prescription. I much prefer the style to the old pair but they don't fit as securely, so I Ieave the old pair in a case in my rucksack with the strap attached. As soon as I'm in the queue for the first ride of the day I change to the old pair and leave them on (including the strap, though loosened off between rides) until ride close, at which I change back.