Theme Park Design: Behind The Scenes With An Engineer [Kindle Edition]

I just finished reading Theme Park Design: Behind the Scenes with an Engineer by Steve Alcorn, a very smart book about designing theme park attractions. Have you ever looked at a ride and asked yourself "how did they do that'? Have you ever wanted to design theme park attractions? This book takes a look at the people who design theme park attractions and what their specific roles and responsibilities are. After reading, you'll know the answers to such questions as how a Show Control Engineer differs from a Ride Control Engineer.

The nice thing about Theme Park Design is that anyone can read it. Even though it is written by an engineer the book can easily be understood by anyone. The only math equation isn't encountered until page 182 and shouldn't be very hard to understand thanks to Steve's excellence explanation (P=IV or power equals current times voltage).

This book is a great starting point for anyone interested in pursuing a career in theme park design. Designing a ride includes a wide range of individuals with different skill sets. Reading Theme Park Design can help you understand what role you would like to fulfill and the skills you need to acquire.

Theme Park Design includes some great tidbits about actual attractions and park operations: Disney...runs a department devoted to figuring out how many guests will be in each park at a major Florida resort on everyday for the next five years. Steve talks a lot about his work on Epcot getting many of the attractions, which were technologically advanced at the time, ready for opening day. (I'm sure there are even more details in another book by Steve, Building a Better Mouse: The Story of the Electronic Imagineers Who Designed Epcot, which I am now thinking about picking up a copy.) It's these little pieces of information that make this book such a great read.

My only real complaint is that, as an engineer myself, I would've loved to see even MORE in-depth details. I want to read more about the specific numbers and formulas used and the reasoning behind design decisions that were made. I don't just want to know the facts, I want to know WHY. Also, there seemed to be a surprising number of spelling and grammatical errors.

Overall, Theme Park Design contains fascinating and detailed information about theme parks and how they go from a blue sky concept to reality. It's a very easy read which will sometimes have you laughing out loud. Remember: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it. But if it is broke, it better be fixable in one night." If you're looking into a career in the theme park industry or just want to learn more about how rides are designed then this book is a must read!

I purchased this book for my 15 year old son who is interested in becoming a roller coaster engineer/designer. He has read the book from cover to cover more than once and has really enjoyed it. The book is well written, in a conversational style and is comprehensive, giving specific, detailed information based upon the author's long term career experience within theme parks . My son feels this book is an excellent introduction into the field and has given him a good base of information to proceed in developing his career goals.

If you are interested in Theme Parks, read this. I am not an Engineer and did not feel like it was over my head. I loved the behind the scenes stories! Having been to the Disney parks hundreds of times (was there for Epcot's opening day!) I've always wondered what goes on behind the curtains. (Also read "Building a Better Mouse.") Both very fun reads!