Mobile apps have become an essential part of the modern amusement and theme park experience. Guests, like you and I, now expect more than just park hours and ride wait times shown in the app, we want tools that reduce stress, save time, and help them make the most of their visit. By thoughtfully expanding mobile app features around onsite navigation, visit planning, personalization, and community, parks can significantly elevate the guest experience. Below are several impactful ways parks can improve their mobile apps to better serve today’s visitors.
Suggested Visit Plans That Feel Personal
Not every guest wants to plan their day manually or in advance of the visit. A built-in suggested-visit-plan feature could dramatically improve the experience, especially for first-time visitors.
The app could ask a few simple questions during setup or upon arrival:
(using Six Flags Magic Mountain and myself as an example)
- What time do you plan to arrive at the park?
- 10:30am at park opening
- What time do you plan to leave the park?
- 10:00pm at park closing
- How many people with you, share your visit preferences?
- 1 other person
- Which attractions, rides, or shows are must-experience for you during your visit?
- Twisted Colossus
- Wonder Woman Flight of Courage
- Full Throttle
- Batman the Ride
- New for 2027 Coaster Site (then the coaster when it opens)
- Which attractions, rides, or shows do you consider optional during your visit?
- West Coast Racers
- Riddler’s Revenge
- Scream
- Apocalypse
- Ninja
- Tatsu
- New Revolution
- X2
- Which attractions, rides, or shows are must-avoid for you during your visit?
- Goliath
- Viper
- Goldrusher
- Justice League
- Crazanity
- Teen Titans
- Do you have a meal plan for this park?
- No
- Do you have a drink plan for this park?
- Yes
- Do you plan to leave the park and return at any point during the day?
- Yes, for an early dinner
- Do you prefer to walk any distance, minimize the walking, or it doesn’t matter?
- Organize my day by the shortest lines for the rollercoasters
Results
Using this information, the app could generate a customized itinerary that adapts throughout the day based on wait times, distance between attractions, show schedules, and even weather conditions. This turns the app into a digital guide rather than just a reference tool.
The app ultimately provides the user with a their day mapped out in a fixed schedule for those that are not flexible and then an ever-adjusting day plan for those that are seeking efficiency and effectiveness over rigidity.
Find Members of Your Party with Ease
Large groups and families often split up during the day, making it difficult to reconnect. A “find a member of your party” feature would allow users to temporarily share their location with selected group members. To address privacy concerns, sharing options could include one-time pings, 15-minute sharing, 1-hour sharing, or all-day access. This gives guests peace of mind and flexibility without requiring constant location tracking.
Never Lose Your Car Again with Smart Parking Tools
One of the most common frustrations at the end of a long park day is forgetting where you parked. A simple but powerful feature would allow guests to drop a GPS marker in the app when they park their car or even better… the user could enter the location of their spot.
- Crazanity 3
With one tap, the app could save the location and later provide walking directions back to the vehicle. This feature could be enhanced by allowing users to add notes or photos (such as the row number or nearby landmarks), ensuring a smooth and stress-free exit after a full day of fun.
Automatically Connect Guests to the Nearest Park
For park chains or resort destinations with multiple locations, the app should automatically display the nearest park using GPS. When a guest opens the app, it could default to the closest park, instantly showing relevant maps, ride wait times, and dining options. At the same time, users can override these settings either permanently or on an ad-hoc basis if they are planning a future visit or browsing another location. This balance of automation and control keeps the experience convenient without feeling restrictive.
A Coaster Credit Counter for Enthusiasts
Roller coaster fans love tracking their ride history, and a built-in coaster credit counter would make the app especially appealing to enthusiasts. Guests could log each coaster they ride, add notes about their experience, and keep a personal record over time. To make this even more seamless, the app could request quick feedback after a guest is confirmed to have ridden a coaster. This would include a field for a short rating and a comment. This not only enhances the guest experience but also provides parks with valuable attraction-specific feedback.
Aside:
The park and chain can then use the information within the feedback to do the following.
- Attend to that roller coaster during maintenance or service periods to resolve any issues that were reported.
- Build new coasters that match their customers’ and riders’ desires because most are missing ejector airtime and floater airtime.
Integration with ACEonline.org Accounts
For coaster enthusiasts who are members of American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE), integrating the app with an ACE account (via aceonline.org) would add significant value. With user permission, the app could sync coaster credits, display ACE-related perks, or highlight events and ride milestones. This kind of integration strengthens the connection between parks and their most passionate fans while reducing duplicate tracking across platforms.
- Discounts or events can even be sync’d between the two services
Surface Onsite Savings Automatically
Guests love saving money, but they don’t want to hunt for discounts while navigating a busy park. The app could automatically surface nearby savings, sales, or discounts based on a guest’s location or their membership level. Whether it’s a limited-time food deal, a merchandise promotion, or a ride photo discount, the app could notify users when they are close to an opportunity to save. This approach benefits both guests and parks by increasing engagement with in-park spending while eliminating friction.
Instant Savings
If the park sees an opportunity to fill a Fast Lane spot because no one is waiting, it could pop up on the app as a 50% discount if acted upon at that moment.
A Smarter App Creates a Better Park Day
Ultimately, the best park apps are the ones that feel intuitive, personal, and genuinely helpful. By focusing on real guest pain points like navigation, planning, coordination, and value almost any amusement or theme park can transform their app into indispensable guest-companions. These enhancements don’t just add to an app’s feature set as much as they could create smoother days, happier guests, and more memorable visits. As expectations continue to rise, parks that invest in smarter mobile experiences will stand out in a competitive entertainment landscape.