Top 10(ish): 2024 Edition - page 124

Matt N · Aug 3, 2023

Matt N said:
Following my recent trip to Florida, my top 10 has changed quite a bit. The composition of this new list did take a fair amount of deliberation, and even now, I should add that I'm still slightly undecided on some of the placements.

This trip presented me with some very interesting conundrums in terms of coaster ranking, as in many cases, I was comparing incredibly different types of ride that were all truly, truly excellent in their own way. It really did test me, and I often second guessed the relative placements of certain rides. Nonetheless, I think I've managed to come up with a final post-Florida ranking.

For clarity, I gained 8 new roller coaster credits during my trip, taking my total coaster count to 99. Of the new coasters I rode, 4 of these made my top 10 and 10/10 tier (which I should add are now one and the same; my 10/10 tier currently encompasses ranking spots 1-10), and the other "new addition" to my 10/10 tier is a previously ridden coaster that exceeded my previous memories of it.

Some of the placements may seem strange. I'm more than happy to answer questions on any placements you find questionable, but I should state that at a basic level, my favourite coasters are rides that have the perfect blend of fun, thrills and rerideability. Out and out intensity is not everything for me; it's the fun factor and rerideability that ultimately matters. There are certainly tangible things that typically correlate with me ranking a coaster highly (for instance, most rides in this list have notable airtime moments to at least a certain extent), but the most important thing for me is a good blend of fun, thrills and rerideability, and I think one entry to my top 10 in particular taught me that the qualities of "what I like in a coaster" are perhaps less tangible than I had previously thought they were.

So, without further ado, my current top 10 is as follows... (new entries are in italics, relocated coasters are underlined)

Mako - SeaWorld Orlando: Even 7 years after my first ride, this coaster still reigns supreme for me, and my recent revisit to SeaWorld (where I had 5 rides on it) reinforced that! The sustained airtime is absolutely biblical (particularly in moments like the first drop, first airtime hill and speed hill), the sense of speed is wonderful, it's blissfully smooth, and overall, it's just such a fun, thrilling and rerideable coaster that I could (and indeed tried my darnedest to) sit on all day! I truly love this ride, and on my recent revisit to SeaWorld, it didn't disappoint! 10/10

Jurassic World VelociCoaster - Islands of Adventure: It may not quite be #1, but my goodness was it close, and VelociCoaster would certainly be a worthy contender for the top spot! There is so much that this ride does well; it packs a great sense of speed throughout, with the second section in particular feeling ridiculously fast, there are quite a few sublime moments of ejector airtime that really whip you out of the seat, there are some truly brilliant inversions, and overall, it's just a truly stunning, spectacular coaster, in my view! In terms of some specific highlights; it's hard to pick from the wonderful array of sensations on offer. But if I had to choose a few, the second launch is absolutely obscene, packing a euphoric thrill like few other rides I've ever experienced, the top hat is sublime, packing some breathtaking ejector airtime on the back in particular, and the mosasaurus roll is an absolutely mind-blowing inversion that throws you out of the seat with some sublime sustained negative g-forces and ensures that you fly into the final brakes blown away! Overall, VelociCoaster is a truly stunning coaster, in my opinion; its blend of stunning airtime, impactful elements, fun, comfort and rerideability certainly make it a firm favourite of mine! 10/10

Silver Star - Europa Park: I had quite low expectations for this coaster given that it's not overly well liked, but I have to say that I was blown away; I absolutely adored this coaster! It has wonderful sustained airtime, it's smooth and comfortable, it has an awesome sense of speed, the ending is absolutely brilliant, packing some phenomenal ejector airtime (particularly the MCBR exit), and overall, this is a stunning coaster that I absolutely loved! I did rank this below Mako of the two B&M Hypers I've ridden due to my feeling that its airtime, while stunning, never has quite the same impact as some of Mako's strongest moments, in my view, and while smooth in its own right, it isn't quite as blissfully smooth as Mako. I also felt it to be slightly less consistent, as I did have 1 or 2 slightly weaker rides on it during my trip to Europa. Nonetheless, Silver Star is a stunning coaster with phenomenal sustained airtime, and I love how it is incredibly rerideable and keeps the thrills going right to the end with that awesome post-MCBR section! 10/10

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure - Islands of Adventure: Dismiss this as a “family” coaster all you want, but I think such quick dismissal would be a huge mistake, because this ride is phenomenal, in my view! Of the rides in my top 10, I’ll admit that this one probably has the least tangible reason to be there. However, the key reason why Hagrid’s ranks so highly for me is that purely and simply, it is a phenomenally, impeccably fun roller coaster! In terms of some specifics, the low-to-the-ground turns were a lot more thrilling than I expected and the launches were surprisingly punchy and great fun, but unlike many coasters, my love of Hagrid’s is for a much broader reason than any specific features of the ride layout. It is just so, so fun, and the ride will always leave you laughing hysterically and smiling on the final brake run, and that for me is really important. Riding Hagrid’s taught me a crucial lesson about my taste in coasters; it taught me that a coaster does not necessarily need greatness in the form of tangible elements for me to love it, and that fundamentally, all a coaster needs to be is fun. Hagrid’s is not the most intense ride by any means, but if you want pure fun, I’d struggle to recommend many better coasters than this one! 10/10

Wodan Timbur Coaster - Europa Park: Wodan strikes the perfect balance between pure demented insanity and amazing fun factor and rerideability, in my view! It’s an absolutely relentless coaster, with phenomenal pacing right to the end, and it has quite a few really surprising pops of ejector airtime, including an excellent first drop, but it’s also a really smooth and comfortable wooden coaster, and it just manages to be a ridiculous amount of fun! Overall, Wodan is such a fast, airtime-filled and fun coaster that I absolutely loved on my visit to Europa Park! 10/10

Iron Gwazi - Busch Gardens Tampa: This ride is phenomenal! In terms of some key strengths, it’s absolutely relentless in pacing and has some of the strongest ejector airtime I’ve ever experienced, and some of the big hitters in the layout like the first drop, outerbanked turn, death roll and wave turn are truly sensational elements that are right up there with the best, in my opinion! The first drop in particular is insane; whipping you far out of the seat with ejector airtime for a surprisingly sustained period of time never gets old! However, my reason for not ranking this coaster higher is that it’s almost a little… much at times. Iron Gwazi is not a rough coaster by any stretch, but it’s certainly fierce in places, and I did find the final few elements in particular to be toeing the line in terms of what I can handle from a violence and intensity standpoint. It does quite a bit of what I’d refer to as “snapping”, where it changes direction and exerts high forces very rapidly, and while this looks good on paper and probably looks good in NoLimits or whatever, it doesn’t ride quite so well in practice for me, and I did find Iron Gwazi ever so slightly uncomfortable in those snappier portions of the layout. If I’m being picky, I also wasn’t the biggest lover of the trains (and these could well have contributed to the slight discomfort I experienced in areas), although they’re admittedly far from the worst trains I’ve ever sat in. Nevertheless, these are minor niggles rather than total deal breakers for me, and the high points of the ride are high enough for me to override them to a certain extent; while I perhaps didn’t love Iron Gwazi quite as much as I’d hoped to for the aforementioned reasons, it’s still a phenomenal ride that I thought very highly of! 10/10

SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa: I had remembered liking this ride back in 2016, but my reride in 2023 was even better than I’d previously remembered! I love a B&M Dive Coaster, and this was a fantastic one! The sustained airtime over both drops was absolutely phenomenal, and the sheer size of them produced a brilliant sensation of speed throughout the ride! You typically think of Dive Coasters for their initial vertical drop, but interestingly, I actually thought that the second vertical drop on SheiKra delivered just as much as the first if not more! Overall, SheiKra was phenomenal, and a really pleasant surprise; I often said that I preferred Oblivion, but I’d now say that I comfortably prefer SheiKra, as I do feel that the added height and length really add something to it! 10/10

Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach: Icon is often maligned, but I absolutely love it, personally! Yes, the ride is not the most intense coaster by any means, but I just find it incredibly good fun! There’s some excellent ejector airtime on there, with some particular highlight moments being the top hat, the drop down into the second launch and one incredibly fun drop during the second half of the layout! I also think that the ride is fast-paced and thrilling throughout, and it’s also incredibly smooth and comfortable, with the overhead lap bars ensuring that the inversions in particular are negotiated comfortably in a way that ensures maximum floaty negatives! Overall, I love Icon for its fun airtime, fast pace, fun twists and turns and overall rerideability; it’s just such a wonderfully fun coaster, in my opinion! 10/10

Ice Breaker - SeaWorld Orlando: I had pretty low expectations for Ice Breaker, as its reviews are generally middling to negative, but I have to say that it massively exceeded expectations for me; it was a phenomenal little ride that I absolutely loved! I should say that the much-maligned “comfort collars” have been removed, so I experienced the ride without them, but I found it to be fantastic, with a fun and punchy swing launch, a backwards spike with some brilliant floater airtime, some surprisingly excellent pops of ejector airtime in places, some fun twists and turns, and a smooth and fun ride experience throughout! The trains are a little tight to get into and out of, but I found the restraints unobtrusive when I was sat down enjoying the ride, so I didn’t find them to be an issue overall. All in all, I thought Ice Breaker was a fantastic ride that hugely exceeded my expectations; it may not have quite been my favourite coaster I rode in Florida, but I dare say that coaster-wise, it was possibly the sleeper hit of the trip in terms of how much it exceeded my expectations! I expected very little, but I ended up absolutely loving the ride, personally! 10/10

Wicker Man - Alton Towers: It may now only be in my top 10 by the skin of its teeth, but Wicker Man is a fantastic GCI coaster that I absolutely love! It may not look like much on paper, but I find it to be an enormously fun and rerideable coaster that never fails to put a huge smile on my face! I find it to be a really fast-paced coaster with some really fun twists and turns and some surprising pops of airtime, with some particular favourite elements of mine being the initial s-bend drop, where you gain brilliant speed incredibly quickly, and the big drop out of the high u-turn and following airtime hill, with both elements providing some excellent airtime that really whips you out of the seat! Overall, I find Wicker Man a hugely fun and rerideable wooden coaster with awesome airtime, twists and pacing, and I think it’s a ride that is definitely far more than the sum of its parts, personally! 10/10

In terms of other notable new Florida additions, the only major new coaster addition I can think of that is missing is Pipeline: The Surf Coaster, which I found to be a big disappointment and is ranked at #52 out of 99.

Overall, I thought that this trip was brilliant, personally!

I realise that I haven't posted a top 30 in a while, as I only did a top 10 with descriptions when I initially got back from Florida. My current top 30 is as follows:

Mako - SeaWorld Orlando (10/10)
Jurassic World VelociCoaster - Islands of Adventure (10/10)
Silver Star - Europa Park (10/10)
Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure - Islands of Adventure (10/10)
Wodan Timbur Coaster - Europa Park (10/10)
Iron Gwazi - Busch Gardens Tampa (10/10)
SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa (10/10)
Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach (10/10)
Ice Breaker - SeaWorld Orlando (10/10)
Wicker Man - Alton Towers (10/10)
Oblivion - Alton Towers (9/10)
Montu - Busch Gardens Tampa (9/10)
Revenge of the Mummy - Universal Studios Florida (9/10)
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts - Universal Studios Florida (9/10)
Blue Fire - Europa Park (9/10)
Mine Blower - Fun Spot Kissimmee (9/10)
Nemesis Inferno - Thorpe Park (9/10)
Rita - Alton Towers (9/10)
Stealth - Thorpe Park (8/10)
Nemesis - Alton Towers (8/10)
CanCan Coaster - Europa Park (8/10)
Kumba - Busch Gardens Tampa (8/10)
Kraken - SeaWorld Orlando (8/10)
Megafobia - Oakwood Theme Park (8/10)
Rock'n'Rollercoaster - Disney's Hollywood Studios (8/10)
Cheetah Hunt - Busch Gardens Tampa (8/10)
Thirteen - Alton Towers (7/10)
The Swarm - Thorpe Park (7/10)
Slinky Dog Dash - Disney's Hollywood Studios (7/10)
Arthur - Europa Park (7/10)

I should also say that after discovering some exact dates and confirmation of early theme park visits, I decided to change my coaster counting methodology and ditch my "enthusiasm start date", increasing my coaster count to 102. I had initially hesitated to rank and rate the added +3 from Disneyland Paris in March 2011, but when I sat down today and properly gave it some thought, I realised that my vague recollections of the rides I did at DLP are better than I had previously given myself credit for, and that my vague recollections of some of the rides I already had ranked and rated weren't much better (mainly a fair amount of Chessington, which I haven't done since 2014), so I decided to have a go at ranking and rating them. I did these coasters many years ago, so my recollections are vague and I can't remember too much in the way of specifics, but thinking about it, I do remember a vague hierarchy of enjoyment, and based on my vague recollections, I have decided upon the following placements and ratings:

My highest-ranked coaster from DLP is Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland Park. This is the ride I remember most, and I remember thinking it was pretty fun at 7 years old; it was the only coaster I rerode, and from vague memory, I rode it 3 times or so. I figure that it was fairly similar to the Florida version that I did in 2019, but I do remember enjoying this version a little bit more at the time than I later enjoyed the Florida version, so I opted for #34/102, one spot higher than the Florida version, and a 7/10 rating. On a fun aside, this ride was of one of only 3 coasters I've ever been evacuated from (with the other two being Wicker Man in 2018 and Hagrid's in 2023)!
My second highest-ranked coaster from DLP is Crush's Coaster at Walt Disney Studios Park. I remember it being pretty good at the time, and possibly more fun than Spinball, but it probably wasn't quite as good as Dragon's Fury, so I opted for #45/102, one spot below Dragon's Fury, and a 6/10 rating.
My lowest-ranked coaster from DLP is RC Racer at Walt Disney Studios Park. I don't remember it being anything especially spectacular even at 7 years old, so I opted for #69/102, just below the similarly unremarkable Atlantica SuperSplash, and a 4/10 rating.

I know it's weird that I suddenly counted these rides as part of my count and ranked them, but I finally felt able to add them to my count and visit log after finding out the exact visit dates and ride counts and such, and discovering that I hadn't ridden anything I didn't vaguely remember riding. I'd never rated and ranked them as I thought that my recollections were too vague for me to rate and rank them, but after giving it some thought, I realised that my recollections were better than I'd previously given myself credit for and that some of the rides I'd already ranked were things I had relatively vague recollections of.

If you're wondering why I only have Big Thunder Mountain from Disneyland Park and Crush's Coaster and RC Racer from Walt Disney Studios Park:

I wasn't tall enough to ride Space Mountain or Indiana Jones.
I was tall enough to ride Rock'n'Rollercoaster, but I refused to ride it because someone from primary school told me it would give me tummyache...
I have no memory of ever having ridden Casey Jr, and I found no evidence to the contrary, so it's not counted.

If you'd like to view my full, exhaustive ranking, here it is: https://captaincoaster.com/en/tops/192

Eyebrows · Aug 3, 2023

Now that my Canada trip has come to a close and I’m about to start University, I have settled on my new, and perhaps final for 2023, top 20. Nothing new that I rode in Canada or New York quite cracked my top 20, but a straggler from my Florida trip has been added, and rerides on old favorites shifted some placements. Movers and shakers in bold.

1. Voyage
2. Intimidator 305
3. Iron Gwazi
4. Steel Vengeance
5. Toutatis
6. Skyrush
7. ArieForce One
8. VelociCoaster
9. Fury 325
10. El Toro
11. Phantom’s Revenge
12. Expedition GeForce
13. Ravine Flyer II
14. Pantheon
15. Maverick
16. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
17: Phoenix
18: Twisted Timbers
19: Taron
20: Raven

Intimidator 305 has always been a favorite of mine, but recent rides with friends (including my second ever full blackout!) secured it my #2 spot once again. There’s never going to be another i305.

Skyrush is the same deal as above. I hadn’t ridden it since 2021, though, and coming back to it with my friends left no doubt in my mind that it had leapfrogged AF1 for my #6 spot. That drop is what doing a bump of coke must feel like.

El Toro was one of those rides that I sort of “didn’t get” before. Don’t get me wrong, I liked it and thought it was top 20, but I didn’t rate it as highly as nearly anyone else I knew. On a random dead July Saturday, I lapped it 20 times and something just clicked. It’s certainly not a perfect ride, but that air is damn near unbeatable.

Ravine Flyer II was one of the rides I hoped would jump up in my rankings after reriding it, and I was correct in that assessment. I finally got to experience this ride warmed up from running all day, and got that magical sunset ride that everyone talks about. I’ll never forget being absolutely humbled by that view on the turnaround.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind was a massive surprise. I was expecting to like this ride, but from what I had heard about it, it wasn’t for me. Boy was I wrong. After the impressive preshow, what followed was possibly the most pure fun I’ve ever had on a coaster. The integration of the ride hardware with the theming is damn near perfect. On my fourth and final lap, I was worried that I wouldn’t get “my song”. Hearing those first notes as the ride began was a seratonin rush that I haven’t felt from a coaster since Voyage. Serious contender for my favorite ride on property, that.

Rob Coasters · Aug 15, 2023

#1 Untamed - Walibi Holland
#2 Ride to Happiness - Plopsaland De Panne
#3 Storm - The Dragon Legend - Tusenfryd
#4 Cú Chulainn - Emerald Park
#5 Megafobia - Oakwood Theme Park
#6 Smiler - Alton Towers
#7 Lost Gravity - Walibi Holland
#8 Goliath - Walibi Holland
#9 Stealth - Thorpe Park
#10 OzIris - Parc Astérix
#11 München Looping - Hyde Park Winter Wonderland
#12 Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach
#13 Saw - The Ride - Thorpe Park
#14 Big One - Blackpool Pleasure Beach
#15 Big Thunder Mountain - Disneyland Park Paris
#16 Speed Monster - Tusenfryd
#17 Sik - Flamingo Land
#18 Anubis: The Ride - Plopsaland De Panne
#19 Speed - Oakwood Theme Park
#20 Cannonball Express - Pleasurewood Hills
#21 Oblivion - Alton Towers
#22 Goudurix - Parc Astérix
#23 Nemesis Inferno - Thorpe Park
#24 Shockwave - Drayton Manor Park
#25 Nemesis - Alton Towers

München Looping spent around 2,450 days in the top 10.

Out of the top 25: Grand National (Left Lift) (now #27), Heidi the Ride (now #26).

LightningColossus46 · Aug 17, 2023

Lightningrod
Twisted Colossus
X2
Iron Gwazi
Jurassic World Velocicoaster
Thunderhead
Ghostrider
Montu
Hollywood RIP Ride Rockit
Kentucky Rumbler
Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
Afterburn
Nighthawk
Tatsu
Ice Breaker
Wonder Woman Flight of Courage
Copperhead Strike
Cheetah Hunt
Silver bullet KBF
White Lightning
Mako
Intimidator
BATMAN The Ride SFMM
Hang time
Emperor

Rob Coasters · Aug 20, 2023

#1 Untamed - Walibi Holland
#2 The Ride to Happiness - Plopsaland De Panne
#3 Helix - Liseberg
#4 Storm - The Dragon Legend - Tusenfryd
#5 Balder - Liseberg
#6 Cú Chulainn - Emerald Park
#7 Megafobia - Oakwood Theme Park
#8 Smiler - Alton Towers
#9 Lost Gravity - Walibi Holland
#10 Goliath - Walibi Holland
#11 Stealth - Thorpe Park
#12 OzIris - Parc Asterix
#13 Valkyria - Liseberg
#14 München Looping - Hyde Park Winter Wonderland
#15 Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach
#16 Saw - The Ride - Thorpe Park
#17 Big One - Blackpool Pleasure Beach
#18 Big Thunder Mountain - Disneyland Park Paris
#19 Lisebergbanan - Liseberg
#20 Speed Monster - Tusenfryd
#21 Sik - Flamingo Land
#22 Anubis the Ride - Plopsaland De Panne
#23 Speed - Oakwood Theme Park
#24 Cannonball Express - Pleasurewood Hills
#25 Oblivion - Alton Towers

Stealth spent around 2,700 days in the top 10.

OzIris spent around 3,500 days in the top 10.

Out of the top 10: Nemesis (now #29), Shockwave (now #28), Nemesis Inferno (now #27), Goudurix (now #26).

Nemesis, a severe victim of expectation, has always been wronged by me. I entered the ride thinking the wrong parts were going to be much better than they ended up being. Never getting back to Towers since 2018, I've been answering questions from countless curious enthusiasts regarding my low placement and justifiably asking why. It's simply a ride that I badly misjudged upon first doing it, and I've been dying to give it one more chance as seeing it drop out of the top 25 makes me feel like it happened far too early into my coastering career. Will it jump back in when I return, will it be too late with simply better rides storming the ranks, or will my first opinion really be solidified?

RcTmix · Aug 20, 2023

RcTmix said:
Made it back to Cedar Point over the weekend to get what will likely be my last rides of the year (except for the possibility of Winterfest at KI). This list needs slight adjustment.

1. Steel Vengeance

After a front row night ride this is SOLIDLY in a tier above anything else I've ridden yet. Not that I really had any question before now, but that was probably the single greatest ride experience I've ever had.

2. Voyage

3. Maverick (+3)

I don't know what my problem was in June, but this thing is incredible. It was tough to decide whether Maverick really deserved to overtake Storm Chaser as #3. Did I really enjoy Maverick more, or was I just being a Cedar Point Fanboy (this Friday was quite a poor showing from CP, so no, it's not that). Both rides are great, but Maverick has a slight edge thanks to the ridiculous ejector over the first drop in the back row, the Stengel Dive things, and the sheer intensity throughout. While Storm Chaser fizzles out towards the end, Maverick hauls through its entire course. The pitch-black launch tunnel at night is a nice bonus.

4. Storm Chaser (-1)

5. Millennium Force (-1)

I seriously considered dropping this much further after riding somewhere in the middle of the train. It was good, but not amazing. Then I waited for the front row and remembered why I had it ranked so high. There is an unreasonable difference in quality between a front row ride and any other seat on Millie, and up front this thing is still elite. It may not be as smooth as it used to be, it may not have as much airtime as some other hypers or gigas, but the visuals, the length, and the sustained sense of speed with wind battering your body more than make up for the limited airtime.

6. Mystic Timbers (-1)

7. Orion

8. Lightning Run

9. Diamondback

10. Phantom's Revenge

11. Montu

12. Top Thrill Dragster

CC: 104

1. Steel Vengeance
2. Iron Gwazi
3. Fury 325
4. Voyage (-2)
5. Millennium Force
6. ArieForce One
7. Storm Chaser (-3)
8. Mystic Timbers (-2)
9. Maverick (-6)
10. Orion (-3)
11. Afterburn
12. Top Thrill Dragster
13. Montu (-2)
14. Phantom’s Revenge (-4)
15. Lightning Run (-7)

cc: 124

Sticky_T_Wicky · Aug 21, 2023

Oh why not, I'll do one now and then compare in ~1.5 months when I should have ~60 more credits between trips to Sea World San Antonio, Fiesta Texas, Over Texas and possibly Frontier City over Labor Day weekend and then the first weekend of October will be Carowinds, Six Flags Over Georgia, Fun Spot Atlanta and Dollywood.

1. Steel Vengeance
2. Voyage
3. Outlaw Run
4. Maverick
5. Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast
6. Orion
7. Millennium Force
8. Storm Chaser
9. Diamondback
10. Mamba

108 credits total for what it's worth

tynemouthsurfer · Aug 23, 2023

As I have now ridden 69 coasters (yeah), I’ve decided to try a top ten:

Shambala - Port Aventura
Red Force (front row) - Ferrari Land
Big Thunder Mountain - Disneyland Park Paris
Expedition Everest - Animal Kingdom
Hulk - Islands of Adventure
Dragon Khan - Port Aventura
Sik - Flamingo Land
Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Nemesis - Alton Towers
Space Mountain - Magic Kingdom

I really love a sit down with multiple inversion, then there are some somewhat sentimental ones there too. Few disclaimers:-

*Was last in Universal in Florida back in 2001 hence no e.g. Velocicoaster

*Despite going to Alton Towers half a dozen times I was last there way back when Air was new. I need to get back again…

*There may be recency bias with Sik having rode it this week but current feeling is it has surpassed Icon as my favourite UK coaster

The ride I struggle to place is the Big One at BPB. If I go off my memory as a kid in the 90s it is top ten. A re-ride a couple of years ago though was very disappointing. Riding Shambala last year felt like the Big One I remembered as a kid again, if that makes sense.

Geeky Pastimes · Aug 23, 2023

Thought I'd put up a new one since I've been to a few new places and revisited some that haven't aged all that well.

Twisted Colossus - Magic Mountain
Taron - Phantasialand
Millennium Force - Cedar Point
Ride to Happiness - Plopsaland
Fury 325 - Carowinds
Mako - Sea World Orlando
Formula Rossa - Ferrari World
Zadra - Energylandia
Velocicoaster - Islands of Adventure
Thunderhead - Dollywood (might be recency bias but I loved it so much)

LightningColossus46 · Aug 28, 2023

After some so-cal visits there are some updates...

Lightningrod
Iron Gwazi
X2
Jurassic World Velocicoaster
Twisted Colossus
Thunderhead
Ghostrider
Montu
Hollywood RIP Ride Rockit
Kentucky Rumbler
Viper
Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
Afterburn
Nighthawk
Tatsu
Ice Breaker
Wonder Woman Flight of Courage
Copperhead Strike
Cheetah Hunt
Silver Bullet KBF
White Lightning
Mako
Intimidator
Hangtime
BATMAN The Ride SFMM
Emporer
Mine Blower
West Coast Racers
Full Throttle
Electric Eel

Current Credit Count: 123

Hixee · Sep 1, 2023

Been updating the cred-sheet and think there's an update here too:

1. Steel Vengeance, Cedar Point
2. Taron, Phantasialand
3. Zadra, Energylandia
4 . Fury 325, Carowinds
5. Dinoconda, China Dinosaurs Park
6. Lightning Rod, Dollywood
7. Boulder Dash, Lake Compounce
8. Skyrush, Hersheypark
9. Voyage, Holiday World
10. Top Thrill Dragster, Cedar Point

11. Helix, Liseberg
12. X2, Six Flags Magic Mountain
13. Wildfire, Kolmarden
14. Untamed, Walibi Holland
15. Soaring with Dragon, Hefei Wanda Theme Park
16. Montu, Busch Gardens Tampa
17. Kondaa, Walibi Belgium
18. Storm Chaser, Kentucky Kingdom
19. Formula Rossa, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi
20. Fønix, Fårup Sommerland

Fønix is a masterpiece. Infinitely re-ridable and in every seat, every dispatch, any time of day it is just gorgeous. Not the most intense, but it's such a joy to ride. <3

Climb · Sep 4, 2023

1. Steel Vengeance - Cedar Point (NEW)
2. Taron - Phantasialand (-1)
3. Maverick - Cedar Point (NEW)
4. Wodan - Europa Park (-2)
5. Shambhala - Port Aventura (-2)
6. Revenge of the Mummy - Universal’s IOA (-2)
7. Millennium Force - Cedar Point (NEW)
8. El Toro - Six Flags Great Adventure (NEW)
9. The Beast - King’s Island (NEW)
10. Mystic Timbers - King’s Island (NEW)

Snoo · Sep 4, 2023

Hixee said:
Been updating the cred-sheet and think there's an update here too:

1. Steel Vengeance, Cedar Point
2. Taron, Phantasialand
3. Zadra, Energylandia
4 . Fury 325, Carowinds
5. Dinoconda, China Dinosaurs Park
6. Lightning Rod, Dollywood
7. Boulder Dash, Lake Compounce
8. Skyrush, Hersheypark
9. Voyage, Holiday World
10. Top Thrill Dragster, Cedar Point

11. Helix, Liseberg
12. X2, Six Flags Magic Mountain
13. Wildfire, Kolmarden
14. Untamed, Walibi Holland
15. Soaring with Dragon, Hefei Wanda Theme Park
16. Montu, Busch Gardens Tampa
17. Kondaa, Walibi Belgium
18. Storm Chaser, Kentucky Kingdom
19. Formula Rossa, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi
20. Fønix, Fårup Sommerland

Fønix is a masterpiece. Infinitely re-ridable and in every seat, every dispatch, any time of day it is just gorgeous. Not the most intense, but it's such a joy to ride. <3

I'm glad someone else loves the beauty of that ride. VERY underrated. Glad I made it 500 and glad it was dead that day as we rode it an ungodly number of times.

James F · Sep 4, 2023

Back from Sweden with a slight update to my top 20. New in Bold

1: Hyperion - Energylandia
2: Helix - Liseberg
3: Zadra - Energylandia
4: Untamed - Walibi Holland
5: Toutatis - Parc Astérix
6: Der Schwur Des Kärnan - Hansa Park
7: Kondaa - Walibi Belgium
8: Wildfire - Kolmården
9: Shambhala - PortAventura
10: Taron - Phantasialand
11: Ride to Happiness - Plopsaland DePanne
12: Wodan: Timbur Coaster - Europa Park
13: Sheikra - Busch Gardens Tampa
14: Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach
15: Silver Star - Europa Park
16: Kraken - Seaworld Orlando
17: Abyssus - Energylandia
18: Stealth - Thorpe Park
19: Golaith - Walibi Holland
20: Rock'n Roller Coaster - Disney's Hollywood Studios

Hixee · Sep 4, 2023

Snoo said:
I'm glad someone else loves the beauty of that ride. VERY underrated. Glad I made it 500 and glad it was dead that day as we rode it an ungodly number of times.

Worth I think also noting that it knocked out Ride To Happiness. As I've said before, the consistency is just on point with Fonix and Kondaa that gives them the edge over RTH for me.

ThomVD · Sep 10, 2023

Some new additions after my trip to Poland last week.

Helix (Liseberg)
Untamed (Walibi Holland)
Ride to Happiness (Plopsaland de Panne)
Zadra (Energylandia)
Kondaa (Walibi Belgium)
Taron (Phantasialand)
Wildfire (Kolmården)
Nemesis (Alton Towers)
Piraten (Djurs Sommerland)
Expedition GeForce (Holiday Park)
Shambhala (PortAventura)
Black Mamba (Phantasialand)
Colossos (Heide Park)
Lech Coaster (Legendia)
Hyperion (Energylandia)
Silver Star (Europa Park)
Junker (PowerPark)
Joris en de Draak (Efteling)
Kärnan (Hansa Park)
Troy (Toverland)
Cú Chulainn (Tayto Park)
Dragon Khan (PortAventura)
Superman: la Atracción de Acero (Parque Warner)
Monster (Walygator Parc)
Wodan (Europa Park)
Anubis (Plopsaland De Panne)
Fenix (Toverland)
Blue Fire (Europa Park)
Fluch von Novgorod (Hansa Park)
Lost Gravity (Walibi Holland)
Twister (Gröna Lund)
Colorado Adventure (Phantasialand)
Abyssus (Energylandia)
Alpina Blitz (Nigloland)
Juvelen (Djurs Sommerland)
Baron 1898 (Efteling)
Balder (Liseberg)
F.L.Y. (Phantasialand)
Dwervelwind (Toverland)
Karacho (Tripsdrill)
Goliath (Walibi Holland)
Batman: Arkham Asylum (Parque Warner)
Lisebergbanan (Liseberg)
Hals Über Kopf (Tripsdrill)
Dragon’s Fury (Chessington)
Formula (Energylandia)
Krake (Heide Park)
Wild Mouse (Blackpool Pleasure Beach)
Daemonen (Tivoli Gardens)
Jetline (Gröna Lund)

I'veGotFourB&MsInMyGarden · Sep 10, 2023

1. Wicker Man (Alton Towers)
2. Galactica (Alton Towers)
3. The Smiler (Alton Towers)
4. Stealth (Thorpe Park)
5. Colossus (Thorpe Park)
6. Nemesis Inferno (Thorpe Park)
7. Oblivion (Alton Towers)
8. The Swarm (Thorpe Park)
9. SAW: The Ride (Thorpe Park)
10. Olympia Looping (Hyde Park Winter Wonderland)

TilenB · Sep 13, 2023

I've also visited Poland for the first time last week on a semi-overlapping trip with @ThomVD and yeah, mostly the same additions to the top50.

1. Ride to Happiness Plopsaland De Panne
2. Wildfire Kolmården
3. Zadra Energylandia
4. Taron Phantasialand
5. Kondaa Walibi Belgium
6. Flying Aces Ferrari World Abu Dhabi
7. Helix Liseberg
8. Untamed Walibi Holland
9. Katun Mirabilandia
10. Troy Toverland
11. Hyperion Energylandia
12. Shambhala PortAventura Park
13. Expedition GeForce Holiday Park
14. iSpeed Mirabilandia
15. Lech Coaster Legendia Śląskie Wesołe Miasteczko
16. Black Mamba Phantasialand
17. Wild Mouse Luna Park
18. Silver Star Europa Park
19. Hair Raiser Ocean Park
20. Wodan Timbur Coaster Europa Park
21. Abyssus Energylandia
22. Balder Liseberg
23. Giant Dipper Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
24. Monster Gröna Lund
25. Goliath Walibi Holland
26. Oblivion - The Black Hole Gardaland
27. Gravity Max Discovery World
28. Pulsar Walibi Belgium
29. Lost Gravity Walibi Holland
30. Fēnix Toverland
31. Superman Escape Warner Bros. Movie World
32. Karacho Erlebnispark Tripsdrill
33. Hyperspace Mountain Hong Kong Disneyland
34. Valkyria Liseberg
35. F.L.Y. Phantasialand
36. Joris en de Draak Efteling
37. Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars Hong Kong Disneyland
38. Formuła Energylandia
39. Hals-über-Kopf Erlebnispark Tripsdrill
40. Kumba Busch Gardens Tampa
41. Goliath Six Flags Magic Mountain
42. blue fire Megacoaster Europa Park
43. Insane Speed Janfusun Fancyworld
44. Gold Rush Attractiepark Slagharen
45. Heidi The Ride Plopsaland De Panne
46. Van Helsing's Factory Movie Park Germany
47. Winjas Phantasialand
48. Wild West Mine Train Ocean Park
49. Lisebergbanan Liseberg
50. Muntanya Russa Tibidabo

Zadra is absolutely outstanding. Its sheer size and grandiose make it really stand out amongst the European RMCs. It flows very well through the layout, none of the elements feel like a waste, though the speed with which it hits the final breaks might make you long for something more. The only reason I rank it slightly below Wildfire has to do with the restrains not being the kindest to my thighs and shins, so I ended up having to ride a bit defensively towards the end of some of the rides.

Hyperion is a world class coaster in the front middle seats, but leaves a lot to be desired in the back and towards the sides, where the rather intense rattle starts taking away from the good aspects of the ride. I'm not sure if this was just an issue with the particular train that was on over the two days we were there (the ride was never crowded enough to warrant two train operations), as I've heard about one of the trains giving worse rides than the others. Still, the sustained ejector on that first hill is absolutely immense and paired with some great moments later on, it could bring the ride into my top5, though the aforementioned rattle and some rather uninspired elements in the middle of the course bring it down to just outside the top 10.

Lech - wow, what a start to the ride. The first drop, inversion, grayout inducing pullout, couple of intense ejector airtime hills and the station roll over are more akin to something from RMC than anything Vekoma has produced ever before (can't say 'or later', as Fonix looks great). The rest of the layout is awesome, though closer to more of the modern Vekomas and their tricks than what was presented in the first part of the ride. Still, an absolutely phenomenal coaster for this rather charming little city park.

Abyssus is defintely overshadowed by its bigger brothers in Energylandia. I didn't think much of it after a solitary ride on the first day, though I've really grown to appreciate its length and a rather inspired mix of elements over a couple more rides the next day. Not hard to tell why this was one of the most popular rides in the park, despite being tucked away in the very far corner of it. It looks great (really photogenic), but not too intimidating and no part of the ride will scare a less seasoned coaster riders away, so it's also a great step up coaster between the mountain of family coasters on one side and Hyperion/Zadra on the other.

Formula was good fun and a great warm-up for the bigger ones early in the morning. It does hold its own with its snappy layout, dotted with a few airtime pops, though it remains a bit too short to really attract the audience that comes for the big guns in the park.

Matt N · Sep 20, 2023

Matt N said:
I realise that I haven't posted a top 30 in a while, as I only did a top 10 with descriptions when I initially got back from Florida. My current top 30 is as follows:

Mako - SeaWorld Orlando (10/10)

Jurassic World VelociCoaster - Islands of Adventure (10/10)

Silver Star - Europa Park (10/10)

Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure - Islands of Adventure (10/10)

Wodan Timbur Coaster - Europa Park (10/10)

Iron Gwazi - Busch Gardens Tampa (10/10)

SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa (10/10)

Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach (10/10)

Ice Breaker - SeaWorld Orlando (10/10)

Wicker Man - Alton Towers (10/10)

Oblivion - Alton Towers (9/10)

Montu - Busch Gardens Tampa (9/10)

Revenge of the Mummy - Universal Studios Florida (9/10)

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts - Universal Studios Florida (9/10)

Blue Fire - Europa Park (9/10)

Mine Blower - Fun Spot Kissimmee (9/10)

Nemesis Inferno - Thorpe Park (9/10)

Rita - Alton Towers (9/10)

Stealth - Thorpe Park (8/10)

Nemesis - Alton Towers (8/10)

CanCan Coaster - Europa Park (8/10)

Kumba - Busch Gardens Tampa (8/10)

Kraken - SeaWorld Orlando (8/10)

Megafobia - Oakwood Theme Park (8/10)

Rock'n'Rollercoaster - Disney's Hollywood Studios (8/10)

Cheetah Hunt - Busch Gardens Tampa (8/10)

Thirteen - Alton Towers (7/10)

The Swarm - Thorpe Park (7/10)

Slinky Dog Dash - Disney's Hollywood Studios (7/10)

Arthur - Europa Park (7/10)

I should also say that after discovering some exact dates and confirmation of early theme park visits, I decided to change my coaster counting methodology and ditch my "enthusiasm start date", increasing my coaster count to 102. I had initially hesitated to rank and rate the added +3 from Disneyland Paris in March 2011, but when I sat down today and properly gave it some thought, I realised that my vague recollections of the rides I did at DLP are better than I had previously given myself credit for, and that my vague recollections of some of the rides I already had ranked and rated weren't much better (mainly a fair amount of Chessington, which I haven't done since 2014), so I decided to have a go at ranking and rating them. I did these coasters many years ago, so my recollections are vague and I can't remember too much in the way of specifics, but thinking about it, I do remember a vague hierarchy of enjoyment, and based on my vague recollections, I have decided upon the following placements and ratings:

My highest-ranked coaster from DLP is Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland Park. This is the ride I remember most, and I remember thinking it was pretty fun at 7 years old; it was the only coaster I rerode, and from vague memory, I rode it 3 times or so. I figure that it was fairly similar to the Florida version that I did in 2019, but I do remember enjoying this version a little bit more at the time than I later enjoyed the Florida version, so I opted for #34/102, one spot higher than the Florida version, and a 7/10 rating. On a fun aside, this ride was of one of only 3 coasters I've ever been evacuated from (with the other two being Wicker Man in 2018 and Hagrid's in 2023)!

My second highest-ranked coaster from DLP is Crush's Coaster at Walt Disney Studios Park. I remember it being pretty good at the time, and possibly more fun than Spinball, but it probably wasn't quite as good as Dragon's Fury, so I opted for #45/102, one spot below Dragon's Fury, and a 6/10 rating.

My lowest-ranked coaster from DLP is RC Racer at Walt Disney Studios Park. I don't remember it being anything especially spectacular even at 7 years old, so I opted for #69/102, just below the similarly unremarkable Atlantica SuperSplash, and a 4/10 rating.

I know it's weird that I suddenly counted these rides as part of my count and ranked them, but I finally felt able to add them to my count and visit log after finding out the exact visit dates and ride counts and such, and discovering that I hadn't ridden anything I didn't vaguely remember riding. I'd never rated and ranked them as I thought that my recollections were too vague for me to rate and rank them, but after giving it some thought, I realised that my recollections were better than I'd previously given myself credit for and that some of the rides I'd already ranked were things I had relatively vague recollections of.

If you're wondering why I only have Big Thunder Mountain from Disneyland Park and Crush's Coaster and RC Racer from Walt Disney Studios Park:

I wasn't tall enough to ride Space Mountain or Indiana Jones.

I was tall enough to ride Rock'n'Rollercoaster, but I refused to ride it because someone from primary school told me it would give me tummyache...

I have no memory of ever having ridden Casey Jr, and I found no evidence to the contrary, so it's not counted.

If you'd like to view my full, exhaustive ranking, here it is: https://captaincoaster.com/en/tops/192

With my year now having ended, I figure that I should update my top 30 again, as I have visited Flamingo Land, Brean Theme Park, Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures since I last posted my list. This resulted in 1 new addition to the top 30 and numerous reshuffled entries, as well as my coaster count increasing to 111.

Following some consideration, my end of year top 30 is as follows (for some idea of proportional ranking, I've also put the minimum thresholds for my top 10% and top 25% next to their respective rankings):

Mako - SeaWorld Orlando (10/10)
Jurassic World VelociCoaster - Universal's Islands of Adventure (10/10)
Silver Star - Europa Park (10/10)
Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure - Universal's Islands of Adventure (10/10)
Iron Gwazi - Busch Gardens Tampa (10/10)
Wodan Timbur Coaster - Europa Park (10/10)
SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa (10/10)
Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach (10/10)
Ice Breaker - SeaWorld Orlando (10/10)
Wicker Man - Alton Towers (10/10)
Oblivion - Alton Towers (9/10) (Minimum threshold for top 10%)
Stealth - Thorpe Park (9/10)
Montu - Busch Gardens Tampa (9/10)
Revenge of the Mummy - Universal Studios Florida (9/10)
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts - Universal Studios Florida (9/10)
Blue Fire - Europa Park (9/10)
Nemesis Inferno - Thorpe Park (9/10)
Nemesis - Alton Towers (9/10)
Mine Blower - Fun Spot Kissimmee (9/10)
Rita - Alton Towers (8/10)
CanCan Coaster - Europa Park (8/10)
Sik - Flamingo Land (8/10)
Kumba - Busch Gardens Tampa (8/10)
Kraken - SeaWorld Orlando (8/10)
Megafobia - Oakwood Theme Park (8/10)
Rock'n'Rollercoaster - Disney's Hollywood Studios (8/10)
Cheetah Hunt - Busch Gardens Tampa (8/10) (Minimum threshold for top 25%)
Thirteen - Alton Towers (8/10)
The Swarm - Thorpe Park (7/10)
Slinky Dog Dash - Disney's Hollywood Studios (7/10)

Of the 17 new coasters I rode this year, 4 made my top 10% and 5 made my top 25%, which I wouldn't consider a bad hit rate at all, personally! If you're interested, here's how I rank the 17 new coasters I did this year (the top 5 are kind of self-explanatory, as they're in the list above, but I thought some might find the breakdown of the other 12 interesting):

Jurassic World VelociCoaster - Universal's Islands of Adventure (10/10, #2/111)
Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure - Universal's Islands of Adventure (10/10, #4/111)
Iron Gwazi - Busch Gardens Tampa (10/10, #5/111)
Ice Breaker - SeaWorld Orlando (10/10, #9/111)
Sik - Flamingo Land (8/10, #22/111)
Kumali - Flamingo Land (6/10, #44/111)
Mumbo Jumbo - Flamingo Land (5/10, #58/111)
Pipeline: The Surf Coaster - SeaWorld Orlando (5/10, #60/111)
Mandrill Mayhem - Chessington World of Adventures (5/10, #61/111)
Astro Storm - Brean Theme Park (5/10, #68/111)
Velocity - Flamingo Land (4/10, #78/111)
Scorpion - Busch Gardens Tampa (3/10, #91/111)
Super Grover's Box Car Derby - SeaWorld Orlando (3/10, #93/111)
Magic Mouse - Brean Theme Park (2/10, #100/111)
Bulldog Coaster - Brean Theme Park (2/10, #106/111)
Sand Serpent - Busch Gardens Tampa (2/10, #109/111)
Hero - Flamingo Land (1/10, #111/111)

I must say that I've found this year truly brilliant for coaster riding overall!

Rob Coasters · Sep 21, 2023

#1 Untamed - Walibi Holland
#2 Ride to Happiness - Plopsaland De Panne
#3 Helix - Liseberg
#4 Storm - The Dragon Legend - Tusenfryd
#5 Piraten - Djurs Sommerland
#6 Balder - Liseberg
#7 Juvelen - Djurs Sommerland
#8 Cú Chulainn - Emerald Park
#9 Megafobia - Oakwood Theme Park
#10 Smiler - Alton Towers
#11 Lost Gravity - Walibi Holland
#12 Goliath - Walibi Holland
#13 Stealth - Thorpe Park
#14 OzIris - Parc Astérix
#15 Valkyria - Liseberg
#16 Olympia Looping - Hyde Park Winter Wonderland
#17 Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach
#18 Saw - The Ride - Thorpe Park
#19 Big One - Blackpool Pleasure Beach
#20 Big Thunder Mountain - Disneyland Park Paris
#21 Lisebergbanan - Liseberg
#22 Speed Monster - Tusenfryd
#23 Sik - Flamingo Land
#24 Drage Kongen - Djurs Sommerland
#25 Anubis the Ride - Plopsaland De Panne

Lost Gravity spent 128 days in the top 10.
Goliath also spent 128 days in the top 10.

Speed (now #26): An odd one. Starts with an absolute banger first half with an excellent drop into an ejector hill that does wonders with its shoulder harness-shaped limiter. The overbank & loop don't do much and the rest of the ride simply doesn't stack up to the rest being more positive-centric, but it had a good run at the top.

Cannonball Express (now #27): I'll forever call this the most underrated roller coaster in the UK. Never underestimate the punch that a small size can pack, because this seriously is such a fun roller coaster that I want to see alive for as long as possible.

Oblivion (now #28): It's impressive how one drop placed this high. The theming did a fantastic job anticipating it, the holding brake and the release from it really sells the drop, and the drop itself into the tunnel is simply... mmmm.

Top 10(ish): 2024 Edition - page 124

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