How much is too much information?

Today I was looking ahead to summer and wondering about possible amusement park trips.

There are a ton of places that I'd like to visit.... mostly smaller, non-chain parks along the east coast.

Most times, when I plan a trip like this, I learn everything I possibly can about the park. I check out info on all of the rides, places to eat, shows and local attractions. I make sure that I become an expert on the park and the surrounding area.

But now that I'm looking ahead to Summer 2008, I'm thinking about taking a different approach.

I'd like to visit these parks for the first time without doing any reconnaissance.  I want to walk through the park gates for the first time and experience it like normal people do. I want to explore a park and be surprised by what I see.  I want to experience a roller coaster without watching an on-ride video on YouTube first.

But then again, there are certain perks that you get from being an expert on a new park. If you do your homework, you can learn about queue trends, good places to eat, shows to watch or skip, and even mundane stuff like which bathrooms are the most convenient.  By doing a fair amount of research, you can maximize the fun you have during your day.

If you're really lucky, you might even get to meet up with some locals who can show you the ins and outs of the park personally.

The internet makes it easy to find out as much information as possible... but I guess the question I'm asking is can there be too much information and can it spoil the genuine surprises that a park has in store?

Talk about this in the CoasterRadio.com Forums.