Rank Your Cedar Fair Parks
- Thread starter sonofbaconador
- Start date
Simply merged the topics for you Jarrett.
Might as well give my two cents while I'm here. I'm basing my ranking off a combination of coaster selection and my experiences at each of the parks.
7) Michigan's Adventure - In the middle of nowhere, no really decent coasters (Shivering Timbers is alright, and it's leagues above anything else in the park), and it was relatively busy when I went.
6) Knotts Berry Farm - Just didn't really like Knotts. It's coasters are all pretty average (okay, Xcelerator is great, but that's about it) and it doesn't have much charm to it. Only reason it's higher than Michigan's Adventure for me is that the day we went it was dead, so we basically had the park to ourselves meaning I don't have any bitterness about waiting in line for average rides.
5) Dorney Park - Better coasters (Talon and Steel Force were good, I enjoyed Possessed and I actually think Hydra is kinda cool), but seems to lack any sort of atmosphere to me.
4) Valleyfair! - Wild Thing, Steel Venom and Renegade are all pretty decent parks, and the park is (was) quite green and vibrant and lively when I was there.
3) California's Great America - Similar to Valleyfair really, Goldstriker was great and I quite liked Flight Deck, and the park was nice generally. We also popped into the water park, which was alright too.
2) Worlds of Fun - Patriot is great (that zero-g-roll <3 ), Prowler is awesome and I really liked Mamba. The park was, again, very colourful and although it was very hot on the day I was there, I had a lot of fun in the park.
1) Kings Island - The coaster list is by far the best, which for me overrides some of the feelings of it being a little less atmospheric than the other parks. Without a doubt the best one I've been to.
Might as well give my two cents while I'm here. I'm basing my ranking off a combination of coaster selection and my experiences at each of the parks.
7) Michigan's Adventure - In the middle of nowhere, no really decent coasters (Shivering Timbers is alright, and it's leagues above anything else in the park), and it was relatively busy when I went.
6) Knotts Berry Farm - Just didn't really like Knotts. It's coasters are all pretty average (okay, Xcelerator is great, but that's about it) and it doesn't have much charm to it. Only reason it's higher than Michigan's Adventure for me is that the day we went it was dead, so we basically had the park to ourselves meaning I don't have any bitterness about waiting in line for average rides.
5) Dorney Park - Better coasters (Talon and Steel Force were good, I enjoyed Possessed and I actually think Hydra is kinda cool), but seems to lack any sort of atmosphere to me.
4) Valleyfair! - Wild Thing, Steel Venom and Renegade are all pretty decent parks, and the park is (was) quite green and vibrant and lively when I was there.
3) California's Great America - Similar to Valleyfair really, Goldstriker was great and I quite liked Flight Deck, and the park was nice generally. We also popped into the water park, which was alright too.
2) Worlds of Fun - Patriot is great (that zero-g-roll <3 ), Prowler is awesome and I really liked Mamba. The park was, again, very colourful and although it was very hot on the day I was there, I had a lot of fun in the park.
1) Kings Island - The coaster list is by far the best, which for me overrides some of the feelings of it being a little less atmospheric than the other parks. Without a doubt the best one I've been to.
Darren B
Giga Poster
1. Cedar Point - It's basically Disney for adults. It has a certain magic to it that I can't really explain. In my opinion the coasters are very mediocre, Maverick being the best, but that doesn't detract from what is a fantastic park. I can't stand it when when people harp on about it being full of concrete; have you been on a busy day? That's why there's so much concrete!
2. Dorney Park - Lovely park. Well presented, clean and tidy. The coaster selection is pretty good too, Talon, Hydra and Steel Force being the pick of the bunch. Don't see why this park gets so much hate.
3. Canada's Wonderland - Again, another well presented, clean and tidy park. However, the coaster selection is poor, like, really poor. Leviathan & Behemoth are both top 10 coasters, the rest don't even touch my top 100.
4. Kings Island - I really disliked Kings Island. It had no atmosphere, and no feeling to it. Banshee, Diamondback are both really good coasters as is Beast at night. The rest are forgetful just like the park.
2. Dorney Park - Lovely park. Well presented, clean and tidy. The coaster selection is pretty good too, Talon, Hydra and Steel Force being the pick of the bunch. Don't see why this park gets so much hate.
3. Canada's Wonderland - Again, another well presented, clean and tidy park. However, the coaster selection is poor, like, really poor. Leviathan & Behemoth are both top 10 coasters, the rest don't even touch my top 100.
4. Kings Island - I really disliked Kings Island. It had no atmosphere, and no feeling to it. Banshee, Diamondback are both really good coasters as is Beast at night. The rest are forgetful just like the park.
steel
Mega Poster
Re: Rank the Cedar Fair Parks
Techincally, Cedar Point actually is on an island, as there are gaps in the causeway. It's not wrong to call it an island, strictly speaking, it is surrounded by water.
Hyde said:
Techincally, Cedar Point actually is on an island, as there are gaps in the causeway. It's not wrong to call it an island, strictly speaking, it is surrounded by water.
I disagree with this. Obviously there are a few serious duds (Flight Deck, Bat, Time Warp), but Vortex is fabulous and (confusingly) so is SkyRider. Plus it has all those standout flat rides. The overwhelming sense I got from Canada's Wonderland was that there is something for absolutely everyone, in both the roller coaster and flat ride departments.Darren B said:
^ The causeway is actually what does not make Cedar Point a peninsula, it is the Chaussee connection to the mainland. Cedar Point has been recognized as a peninsula all the way back to the Civil War in the 1860s when it was used to help defend the Confederate prison on Johnson's Island.
Jarrett
Most Obnoxious Member 2016
Re: Rank the Cedar Fair Parks
Just revisiting this...
Cedar Point- It's an island dominated by coasters, what's not to like? This park has it all. Great rides, great location, and it's easy to stay near the park.
Canada's Wonderland- What a beautiful park! I think this is the prettiest of the Cedar Fair parks next to Knott's with all the water around it and all the rides that interact with it, Wonder Mountain is such a beautiful structure, it has by far the best main street entrance I've ever seen, and Leviathan and Behemoth are amazing! Wonder Mountain's Guardian was also a brilliant addition and I loved the freefall drop. Two things I have to knock it on are the ride lineup (it has a good variety of rides but some of them are absolutely vile) and their Action Zone area not looking very nice. But I really liked it. Crowds forced me to forfeit four creds, though, so I have an excuse to do it all again!
Kings Island- My home park would have been much lower on this list until very recently. It has my favorite hyper, favorite invert (which is my #4), and the best night ride anywhere. Not to mention a pretty awesome Arrow suspended and some nice theming in some parts.
Knott's Berry Farm- I feel like I caught this park on a bad day because I got spited on Xcelerator, Ghostrider, and Pony Express but this park doesn't feel like a Cedar Fair park one bit. The theming is by far the most immersive and beautiful of any Cedar Fair park. It lacks a bit in the ride lineup but it's not for enthusiasts, it's for families. However, Silver Bullet is a nice, smooth, solid invert and Sierra Sidewinder totally blew me away with how crazy it was. I totally forgot I was in metropolitan LA at this park, I'd love to take the family here someday. Maybe I'll win those plane tickets from the KI contest.
I'm still kicking myself for rushing through such a fab park and not doing the train or stagecoach.
Carowinds- This park is a concrete jungle with a weaker lineup than little family friendly KBF, a crap waterpark, and the world's blandest entrance. The only things I like are its special location, Afterburn, and the somewhat-themed boardwalk area. Hopefully Centurion makes it less yucky.
Kings Dominion- Gross park! Some of the rides are okay (I-305 ROCKS and Volcano is a top 20-er for me but not much other than that). Granted, like KBF, I hit it on a bad day and got spited on over half the creds, but the only major one was Dominator and after riding Scream, I'm convinced I didn't miss much. It's hard to get around, it's ugly, the area it's in didn't seem to be very accommodating, and it had some of the worst park food I've ever eaten.
2012Jarrett said:Pretty self-explanatory. List the Cedar Fair parks you visited in order of most to least preferred and explain why you ranked them that way.
I'll start:
Cedar Point- It's an island dominated by coasters, what's not to like? This park has it all. Great rides, great location, and it's easy to stay near the park.
Kings Island- My home park would have been much lower on this list until very recently. It has my favorite hyper, favorite invert (which is my #4), and the best night ride anywhere. Not to mention a pretty awesome Arrow suspended and some nice theming in some parts.
Knott's Berry Farm- I feel like I caught this park on a bad day because I got spited on Xcelerator, Ghostrider, and Pony Express but this park doesn't feel like a Cedar Fair park one bit. The theming is by far the most immersive and beautiful of any Cedar Fair park. It lacks a bit in the ride lineup but it's not for enthusiasts, it's for families. However, Silver Bullet is a nice, smooth, solid invert and Sierra Sidewinder totally blew me away with how crazy it was. I totally forgot I was in metropolitan LA at this park, I'd love to take the family here someday. Maybe I'll win those plane tickets from the KI contest.
Carowinds- This park is a concrete jungle with a weaker lineup than little family friendly KBF, a crap waterpark, and the world's blandest entrance. The only things I like are its special location, Afterburn, and the somewhat-themed boardwalk area. Hopefully Centurion makes it less yucky.
Kings Dominion- Gross park! Some of the rides are okay (I-305 ROCKS and Volcano is a top 20-er for me but not much other than that). Granted, like KBF, I hit it on a bad day and got spited on over half the creds, but the only major one was Dominator and after riding Scream, I'm convinced I didn't miss much. It's hard to get around, it's ugly, the area it's in didn't seem to be very accommodating, and it had some of the worst park food I've ever eaten.
So yeah, post away!
Just revisiting this...
Cedar Point- It's an island dominated by coasters, what's not to like? This park has it all. Great rides, great location, and it's easy to stay near the park.
Canada's Wonderland- What a beautiful park! I think this is the prettiest of the Cedar Fair parks next to Knott's with all the water around it and all the rides that interact with it, Wonder Mountain is such a beautiful structure, it has by far the best main street entrance I've ever seen, and Leviathan and Behemoth are amazing! Wonder Mountain's Guardian was also a brilliant addition and I loved the freefall drop. Two things I have to knock it on are the ride lineup (it has a good variety of rides but some of them are absolutely vile) and their Action Zone area not looking very nice. But I really liked it. Crowds forced me to forfeit four creds, though, so I have an excuse to do it all again!
Kings Island- My home park would have been much lower on this list until very recently. It has my favorite hyper, favorite invert (which is my #4), and the best night ride anywhere. Not to mention a pretty awesome Arrow suspended and some nice theming in some parts.
Knott's Berry Farm- I feel like I caught this park on a bad day because I got spited on Xcelerator, Ghostrider, and Pony Express but this park doesn't feel like a Cedar Fair park one bit. The theming is by far the most immersive and beautiful of any Cedar Fair park. It lacks a bit in the ride lineup but it's not for enthusiasts, it's for families. However, Silver Bullet is a nice, smooth, solid invert and Sierra Sidewinder totally blew me away with how crazy it was. I totally forgot I was in metropolitan LA at this park, I'd love to take the family here someday. Maybe I'll win those plane tickets from the KI contest.
I'm still kicking myself for rushing through such a fab park and not doing the train or stagecoach.Carowinds- This park is a concrete jungle with a weaker lineup than little family friendly KBF, a crap waterpark, and the world's blandest entrance. The only things I like are its special location, Afterburn, and the somewhat-themed boardwalk area. Hopefully Centurion makes it less yucky.
Kings Dominion- Gross park! Some of the rides are okay (I-305 ROCKS and Volcano is a top 20-er for me but not much other than that). Granted, like KBF, I hit it on a bad day and got spited on over half the creds, but the only major one was Dominator and after riding Scream, I'm convinced I didn't miss much. It's hard to get around, it's ugly, the area it's in didn't seem to be very accommodating, and it had some of the worst park food I've ever eaten.
GuyWithAStick
Captain Basic
Pretty simple:
Cedar Point
Sent from my VS840 4G using Tapatalk
Cedar Point
Sent from my VS840 4G using Tapatalk
LiveForTheLaunch
CF Legend
I don't really get the slack that Wonderland gets for the lineup. Most parks do have one or two good coasters with the rest being mediocre. For a park with so many creds, there are bound to be a crapload of bland ones! Before Behemoth and Leviathan obviously there'd be something to whinge about though. The park had like, nothing!
Re: Rank the Cedar Fair Parks
Again, fixed. :wink:
2012Jarrett said:Just revisiting this...
Cedar Point- It's an [strike]island[/strike] peninsula dominated by coasters, what's not to like? This park has it all. Great rides, great location, and it's easy to stay near the park.
Canada's Wonderland- What a beautiful park! I think this is the prettiest of the Cedar Fair parks next to Knott's with all the water around it and all the rides that interact with it, Wonder Mountain is such a beautiful structure, it has by far the best main street entrance I've ever seen, and Leviathan and Behemoth are amazing! Wonder Mountain's Guardian was also a brilliant addition and I loved the freefall drop. Two things I have to knock it on are the ride lineup (it has a good variety of rides but some of them are absolutely vile) and their Action Zone area not looking very nice. But I really liked it. Crowds forced me to forfeit four creds, though, so I have an excuse to do it all again!
Kings Island- My home park would have been much lower on this list until very recently. It has my favorite hyper, favorite invert (which is my #4), and the best night ride anywhere. Not to mention a pretty awesome Arrow suspended and some nice theming in some parts.
Knott's Berry Farm- I feel like I caught this park on a bad day because I got spited on Xcelerator, Ghostrider, and Pony Express but this park doesn't feel like a Cedar Fair park one bit. The theming is by far the most immersive and beautiful of any Cedar Fair park. It lacks a bit in the ride lineup but it's not for enthusiasts, it's for families. However, Silver Bullet is a nice, smooth, solid invert and Sierra Sidewinder totally blew me away with how crazy it was. I totally forgot I was in metropolitan LA at this park, I'd love to take the family here someday. Maybe I'll win those plane tickets from the KI contest.
Carowinds- This park is a concrete jungle with a weaker lineup than little family friendly KBF, a crap waterpark, and the world's blandest entrance. The only things I like are its special location, Afterburn, and the somewhat-themed boardwalk area. Hopefully Centurion makes it less yucky.
Kings Dominion- Gross park! Some of the rides are okay (I-305 ROCKS and Volcano is a top 20-er for me but not much other than that). Granted, like KBF, I hit it on a bad day and got spited on over half the creds, but the only major one was Dominator and after riding Scream, I'm convinced I didn't miss much. It's hard to get around, it's ugly, the area it's in didn't seem to be very accommodating, and it had some of the worst park food I've ever eaten.
Again, fixed. :wink:
Updated (new in bold):
1. Canada's Wonderland - Great selection of rides including a really good suspended coaster and my favourite B&M hyper, Behemoth. Yeah, there's some **** there as well (the invert is APPALLING), but the cool selection of flats make up for those. I'm yet to ride Leviathon as well, so I'm sure the park will go even further up in my estimations if/when I get back there.
2. Cedar Point - Far, far, far from the BEST PARK IN THE WORLD!!!!!!! but I had a great day there. Really enjoyed TTD and Magnum, Maverick was good but overrated, Mantis was a lot better than expected, everything else was a bit crap though.
4. Kings Island - Really liked Beast, Diamondback was very good, Flight of Fear and Flight Deck were both fun.
5. Kings Dominion - Similar to Kings Island really; I always get them mixed up to be honest. Really enjoyed Dominator and Volcano. Again, Flight of Fear was fun. I actually quite liked Grizzly as well. Didn't rate Intimidator 305 though, and the stand up is atrocious.
6. Knott's Berry Farm - It could be because I was expecting it to be crap, but I actually liked this place a lot more than others seem to. Accelerator is excellent and Silver Bullet was better than expected. I thought the whole Western area was one of the better themed as well, if not entirely original since so many parks go for that, which was a nice surprise for a Cedar Fair park.
7. Worlds of Fun - Two great coasters (Patriot and Prowler), but nothing else to really speak of.
8. Dorney Park - Talon was very good. Steel Force and Possessed were ok. Everything else was crap and the place has zero atmosphere.
9. Carowinds - My least favourite park from all the ones I've visited in the USA, apart from perhaps that Rye Playland s**thole. **** ing dreadful park. Relocate Afterburn, which is a fantastic coaster, to a better park (ie, any park at all) and then just drop a bomb on the place.
10. California's Great America - Dear Carowinds, all is forgiven. What an absolutely **** ing awful place. Cedar Fair should be **** ing embarrassed. It's the worst major park I think I've ever been to.
1. Canada's Wonderland - Great selection of rides including a really good suspended coaster and my favourite B&M hyper, Behemoth. Yeah, there's some **** there as well (the invert is APPALLING), but the cool selection of flats make up for those. I'm yet to ride Leviathon as well, so I'm sure the park will go even further up in my estimations if/when I get back there.
2. Cedar Point - Far, far, far from the BEST PARK IN THE WORLD!!!!!!! but I had a great day there. Really enjoyed TTD and Magnum, Maverick was good but overrated, Mantis was a lot better than expected, everything else was a bit crap though.
4. Kings Island - Really liked Beast, Diamondback was very good, Flight of Fear and Flight Deck were both fun.
5. Kings Dominion - Similar to Kings Island really; I always get them mixed up to be honest. Really enjoyed Dominator and Volcano. Again, Flight of Fear was fun. I actually quite liked Grizzly as well. Didn't rate Intimidator 305 though, and the stand up is atrocious.
6. Knott's Berry Farm - It could be because I was expecting it to be crap, but I actually liked this place a lot more than others seem to. Accelerator is excellent and Silver Bullet was better than expected. I thought the whole Western area was one of the better themed as well, if not entirely original since so many parks go for that, which was a nice surprise for a Cedar Fair park.
7. Worlds of Fun - Two great coasters (Patriot and Prowler), but nothing else to really speak of.
8. Dorney Park - Talon was very good. Steel Force and Possessed were ok. Everything else was crap and the place has zero atmosphere.
9. Carowinds - My least favourite park from all the ones I've visited in the USA, apart from perhaps that Rye Playland s**thole. **** ing dreadful park. Relocate Afterburn, which is a fantastic coaster, to a better park (ie, any park at all) and then just drop a bomb on the place.
10. California's Great America - Dear Carowinds, all is forgiven. What an absolutely **** ing awful place. Cedar Fair should be **** ing embarrassed. It's the worst major park I think I've ever been to.
Chris Coasters
Strata Poster
Update
1. Cedar Point
2. Kings Dominion
3. Dorney Park
1. Cedar Point
2. Kings Dominion
3. Dorney Park
CookieCoasters
Giga Poster
I did two cedar fair parks this year on my East Coast which were a lot better than the two kind of meh/crappy ones I'd done before, so I've kind of become a big cedar fair fan <3. Yes, there parks are quite bland and kind of meld into one, but there's just something about the simplistic feel to them that I just love (only really talking about number's one and two)
1. Kings Dominion: I really liked the feel of the place and just generally how it worked. I305 was incredible. Dominator, Volcano and FoF were all pretty good. I had a soft spot for Grizzly. Shockwave and Anaconda were pretty bad, but parks with this amount of coasters are bound to have some crap. Drop Tower was also good.
2. Dorney Park: Basically it was a smaller version of KD and quite underrated because I felt the ride selection was very solid. Talon was excellent, Steel Force was much better than expected and Possessed was fun. Hydra was boring as were the other coasters. Demon Drop, Meteor and Thunderhawk were good flats and the rapids ride is soooo wet, it is hilarious. If KD didn't have I305, I'd probably prefer Dorney.
3. Knott's Berry Farm: When I think about Knott's as a park, I can think how ugly the mixture of colours of Silver Bullet and co. look intertwined. Other than that it was just fine. Xcelerator is very good and Ghost Rider is brutal, but I really enjoyed it . Silver Bullet is okay and the other coasters were average. I really liked the log ride though.
4. California's Great America: Like half the rides were shut most of the time on both visits to this park, which was annoying. Admittedly I went before Gold Striker, but the only rides that stand out to me as being good were Flight Deck and the drop tower. Flight Deck only opened at the end of the day on our second so only got one ride, that coupled with it being five years means I can't remember it in much detail.
1. Kings Dominion: I really liked the feel of the place and just generally how it worked. I305 was incredible. Dominator, Volcano and FoF were all pretty good. I had a soft spot for Grizzly. Shockwave and Anaconda were pretty bad, but parks with this amount of coasters are bound to have some crap. Drop Tower was also good.
2. Dorney Park: Basically it was a smaller version of KD and quite underrated because I felt the ride selection was very solid. Talon was excellent, Steel Force was much better than expected and Possessed was fun. Hydra was boring as were the other coasters. Demon Drop, Meteor and Thunderhawk were good flats and the rapids ride is soooo wet, it is hilarious. If KD didn't have I305, I'd probably prefer Dorney.
3. Knott's Berry Farm: When I think about Knott's as a park, I can think how ugly the mixture of colours of Silver Bullet and co. look intertwined. Other than that it was just fine. Xcelerator is very good and Ghost Rider is brutal, but I really enjoyed it
. Silver Bullet is okay and the other coasters were average. I really liked the log ride though.4. California's Great America: Like half the rides were shut most of the time on both visits to this park, which was annoying. Admittedly I went before Gold Striker, but the only rides that stand out to me as being good were Flight Deck and the drop tower. Flight Deck only opened at the end of the day on our second so only got one ride, that coupled with it being five years means I can't remember it in much detail.
GuyWithAStick
Captain Basic
Has anyone been to Gilroy Gardens? It's the. Most. Neglected. Park. Ever. No new ride in 10+ years!
Sent from my VS840 4G using Tapatalk
Sent from my VS840 4G using Tapatalk
Apart from Canada's Wonderland and Gilroy Gardens (which I have a hard time really counting anyway) they're all horrible, and this is a listing of most **** to slightly less ****.
6. California's Great America - What an absolute dive. Nothing redeeming (the new Woodie probably is though) and just a horrible place to be.
5. Knott's Berry Farm - Dump, Perilous Plunge was the best thing there, RIP. Still, Xcelerator and Montezooma's are pretty decent.
4. Kings Dominion - Horrible park, but Dominator is fab. So is Drop Zone actually.
3. Dorney Park - Bland and pretty offensive, but at least Talon is amazing.
2. Gilroy Gardens - Nothing there, but it's pretty so is good at what it tries to do.
1. Canada's Wonderland - Actually fab, although at the time only two of the coasters out of like fifteen weren't complete turd. Now it's three! Wow.
Let it not be understated - Cedar Fair are horrible, horrible parks. Six Flags are about ten thousand times better.
6. California's Great America - What an absolute dive. Nothing redeeming (the new Woodie probably is though) and just a horrible place to be.
5. Knott's Berry Farm - Dump, Perilous Plunge was the best thing there, RIP. Still, Xcelerator and Montezooma's are pretty decent.
4. Kings Dominion - Horrible park, but Dominator is fab. So is Drop Zone actually.
3. Dorney Park - Bland and pretty offensive, but at least Talon is amazing.
2. Gilroy Gardens - Nothing there, but it's pretty so is good at what it tries to do.
1. Canada's Wonderland - Actually fab, although at the time only two of the coasters out of like fifteen weren't complete turd. Now it's three! Wow.
Let it not be understated - Cedar Fair are horrible, horrible parks. Six Flags are about ten thousand times better.
Fair enough.
The reason behind my question being that yes I have experienced bad atmosphere at Six Flags St. Louis and Dorney Park, horrible ride operations at SFoG and Knott's, or poor park layouts at Kings Island and SFFT. That all being said though, I have always felt parks have strengths in other areas. I cannot honestly say that I have been to any amusement park that failed in all categories. To say [insert park] was crap is rather nondescript and really doesn't present any relevant insight.
The reason behind my question being that yes I have experienced bad atmosphere at Six Flags St. Louis and Dorney Park, horrible ride operations at SFoG and Knott's, or poor park layouts at Kings Island and SFFT. That all being said though, I have always felt parks have strengths in other areas. I cannot honestly say that I have been to any amusement park that failed in all categories. To say [insert park] was crap is rather nondescript and really doesn't present any relevant insight.
^ It provides way more insight than the lazy, +1 to the post count lists, with no reasoning whatsoever, that many on here have provided.
Totally agree on Six Flags being miles above Cedar Fair. On paper, they probably shouldn't be, but actual park experience, from my own visits at least, proves otherwise.
Totally agree on Six Flags being miles above Cedar Fair. On paper, they probably shouldn't be, but actual park experience, from my own visits at least, proves otherwise.