Yesterday, Cedar Point's official blog rallied the park's fans to vote for Maverick, and they responded, bouncing defending champ Twilight Zone Tower of Terror from the tournament. The influx of coaster fans affected the other races on yesterday's ballot, and Kings Island's the Beast and Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean cruises to easy victories. Universal Studios Florida's Revenge of the Mummy, however, held on in a squeaker against Dueling Dragons - Ice.
Today, Islands of Adventure's The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man defends the honor of themed attractions against Busch Gardens Africa's coaster, Montu.
As always, I ask everyone, no matter which park you like, to take a look at the comments below before casting your votes. (Early voters, get the campaigning going by submitting a comment.) Thoughtful votes help make this a better tournament.
In a battle of top Orlando coasters, Islands of Adventure's Dueling Dragons - Fire takes on cross-town rival Kraken, from SeaWorld Orlando.
Two first-round upset winners face each other next, to see which ride can make an improbably run to the final 16. It's Superman: Ultimate Flight from Six Flags Great America versus Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls from Islands of Adventure.
We wrap up as we began the day, with a roller coaster versus a "4D" dark ride. Will Islands of Adventure's Incredible Hulk Coaster be able to hold off Busch Gardens Europe's Curse of DarKastle?
Let's duke this out in the comments.
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Kraken got my vote over Fire as previously I do not consider this to be as good a ride without Ice. If they were in this together they probably would have won this pairing for me.
Haven’t voted in the other two but would like Dudley and Hulk to go through. Dudley as this both the wettest I have got and the most fun I have had on a flume ride well themed and needing a little maintenance or not. Hulk because the ride is smooth, the launch is amazing and the theme is pretty good too.
Welcome to the site! I do want to clarify one thing, though. This is not a coaster contest. It is a ride contest, which should include consideration of all elements of a ride, including thrills, accessibility, atmosphere, interactivity and story.
This community cherishes attractions that do it all, and this tournament exists to help us, as a community, to recognize them. If people reduce it to a coaster contest, many of the longtime members of this community will be deeply disappointed.
While I voted against Superman in the first round, it was an easy choice for me while against Dudley Do Right, A coaster that you lay down on is alot more interesting than a Splash Mountain knockoff not more than 20 miles away.
Krackken, Darkcastle, and Spiderman should continue too. Darkcastle and Spiderman are two of the best attractions on the site and Krackken is one of the best roller coasters on the site!
I also need to correct myself in the previous comment i made, the ride was called X-Flight not a Superman ride, ( i really need to make sure i have consumed enough coffee before typing!!)
I have made the nessacery corrections to the comment.
I hope everyone will forgive my transgretions and i will make sure i do better to make sure enough coffee is consumed before i comment.
Kraken and Hulk were straightforward, but I actually chose Montu over Spidey and Superman over Dudley.
Montu is my favorite inverted coaster and, since so many giants have fallen already, I'd love to see the underdog take that bracket.
As for my vote against Dudley, I have the same beef with Dudley that James Rao has with Everest. Although Dudley isn't broken, it certainly feels like it is. Everything is dilapidated to the umpteenth degree. Rust, jerky mechanics, scuzzy audio, exposed areas ...
Superman may not have theming, but at least it's well kept.
Dueling Dragons over Kraken. Kraken is great and it has the best first drop of any coaster IMO. but the theming of DD just makes it a better experience. I'm not getting an overall story with Kraken.
Dudley-Do-Right over Superman: Log Flumes are a weakness of mine. I just love em.
Curse of DarKastle over Hulk. Home park bias on this one. I gotta see a Busch Park (especially Williamsburg) actually do well. Nothing personal against Hulk, awesome ride, strictly business.
Kraken over Dueling Dragons...head and shoulders...not even close
I'll take Dudley Do Right over Superman. I haven't ridden it in a while, so I'm not up to speed on the shape it's in. There are a few shortcomings for me on DDR, but I've always liked log flumes. I like the design, the way it looks, and the splashdown makes for a good thrilling payoff. Haven't ridden Superman. I'm sure it's fun, but again, I would rather have Dudley in my park than Superman.
Going with the Hulk. Darkcastle is cut from the same cloth as Spiderman, but I'm just not that big on the theme of the ride. I may have gone with Darkcastle if Hulk didn't have the launch. It certainly isn't the best coaster in the tournament, but it does have that one unique element that pleases the crowd.
Note that the vote totals are way down today. If Busch or Universal had several fansites and an interactive portion of their own website with a daily updated blog that's heavily visited by their fans, then the number of voters could reach what they did yesterday. I do know that the Busch facebook page has a link to the site...maybe votes will pick up for that matchup.
Kraken is a better coaster than Dueling Dragons, especially when it is just Ice alone. It is smooth, fun, thrilling and long. The "long" part is key, because whenever I ride Dueling Dragons I am disappointed in the shortness of the ride, which makes it feel somehow incomplete.
Ripsaw Falls gets my third vote. Sure, when compared to Splash Mountain it's nothing special, but it's not being compared to Splash Mountain, is it? It's being compared to Superman: Ultimate Flight, a sub-par flying coaster that should have lost to Raging Bull in the first round. So I feel perfectly happy voting against my home park and going for Ripsaw. R.I.P Raging Bull, your tourney life was cut too short =(.
Finally, I went with Curse of DarKastle over Incredible Hulk. The Incredible Hulk is entirely deserving of the "World's most overrated coaster" title, but certainly not worthy of the "Best Ride in America" title. The launch is mild compared to other launch coasters, and the rest of the ride left me uninspired. Really not a unique coaster, just better than the other coasters at the Disney/Universal complex. Curse of DarKastle is not by a long shot as good as Spidey which it is always compared to, but once again it is facing the Hulk and not Spidey. It was a close call, but I'd rather have a good Busch ride advance in the tourney than yet another average Orlando ride.
Montu is good but...It is outclassed in every way. Sorry Montu. If it had been another attraction, you might have progressed.
Kraken vs Fire
Well, I love both of these attractions immensely so I flipped a coin. Went with fire. Won't be upset if eithier one fails to get through.
Dudley's vs Superman
The best log flume in the world gets my vote. No contest. Admittedly I haven't ridden Superman, but Dudley's is immenesely special. Practically flawless in its design, and also it doesn't have the words 'Splash' and 'Mountain' in its ride name.
Hulk vs Darkcastle
Haven't ridden Darkcastle so I went with Hulk. The sheer pace of that attraction is breathtaking!
Also it is a Saturday so I think they didn't get the message in time!
For the anonymous poster who said Spider-Man was an okay dark ride and not the best of "bread" (I presume you meant "breed"), you could not be more incorrect. Yes, Spider-Man is indoors, and it is mostly dark, but to call it an "okay dark ride" is an insult to the creative geniuses who engineered the attraction in the first place. Spider-Man is original, immersive, amazingly well themed, fun, repeatable, and other than BGE's Curse of the DarKastle (a distant second cousin of Spider-Man), there is no other theme park attraction even remotely similar to Spider-Man. I can only presume that you have not honestly ridden it, as Spider-Man is one attraction that receives praise from both coaster and theme ride fanatics across the board. Even Amusement Today (a publication devoted to iron ride parks like Cedar Point) acknowledges Spider-Man as the best dark ride in the world. So, please, if you are going to post anonymously on TPI, at least post something credible.
And Franklin....welcome to the site!
If y'all don't [vote] Spider-Man into at least the final four, I'd seriously consider wiping out the site's registration database, banning everyone here and starting over with a new crop of readers. ;-) Or, at least, inviting only the ones with the good sense to recognize Spidey's greatness.
I second that course of action, if necessary.
I've got to think it's just Universal fans tipping the scales. :)
But, Kraken is a great coaster, that one is easy.
Once again, my thoughts on this round directly ape James' choices.
Kraken owns DD in every conceivable way. It is the greatest coaster in Florida. I predict even after HRRR and Manta open, it will still be the best.
It is funny that Ripsaw Falls is still here while the best flume in the world(Splash Mountain) is not. However, Ripsaw Falls easily wins this round against the entertaining, but slight, Superman. Yes, Dudley has some theming flaws but the last drop alone is worth the price.
I am not the biggest Hulk fan. If you removed the launch, which, IMHO, is done better elsewhere, Hulk is a standard B&M coaster done better elsewhere. DarKastle is a clone of Spider-Man, but it is a very good one.
After the egregious loss of both Indy and ToT from this tournament, Spider-man has now become a rallying point for me. It is still the best ride at Universal and the most technologically advanced ride on earth(ten years later on top of that). Anyone who can't recognize its' greatness has no business commenting. It would be like calling Thunderhead an average woodie. Spider-man's early exit from this competiton would truly be a sign of the apocalypse. A sign of biblical proportions...dogs and cats living together...mass hysteria.
I respond: One of the things Raul ABSOLUTELY FAILED to address was the anonymous post that offered the LONG LIST of Indy effects that either NEVER worked or were NO LONGER working on Indy.
So let's review them ... and then watch him either NEVER respond to any of theme specifically, or try to (weakly) rationalize them away:
"On recent rides, there have been a slew of unmaintained items, many of which have been that way for *years* (and a few since opening)... the room of doors wasn't working (you arrive with the correct door already open)... only one of Mara's eye strobed and had smoke... the ramp up before the doors of doom has never been covered in fog and smoke like originally intended, thus revealing the absent theming on the lower half of the room... the ice machine avalanche hasn't worked in years... the bug room projectors are sporadic... the rat room rarely ever works... many, many of the lighting cues no longer work because of ignored, dead lamps and mis-focused lighting instruments....final boulder room didn't move backwards... etc. etc. etc..."
Poor Raul. He is having difficulty facing the fact that the proverbial Galaxy Defenders, booted his broken, down, ill-maintained, non-interactive, same ol' same ol' dark ride from the tournie.
(Chuckle)
Speaking of Ghostbusters, Raul, why isn't there a Ghostbusters attraction somewhere in Orlando? Or anywhere, for that matter?
Doug, welcome to the site. It is okay to have a difference of opinion as long as you back it up with something credible...which you did. The fact that you don't like 3D attractions is an interesting point, especially since I consider Spider-Man to be more 4D (because of the movement of the car) than anything else! BTW, since you like old school dark rides, check back over the next few days as both The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean are still alive in this tournament. Dark rides don't get any more old school than those two!
Anyway, once again, welcome to everyone new to the site. We really do like everyone's input and just ask that new folks listen as well as talk. That way we can continue to have great conversations around here, rather than the shouting that mars too many other websites.
Josh, there has been some postings on various fan sites...but nothing on the official web pages of the companies involved. Hard to get the juggernauts that are Disney and Universal to look down at the ants at their feet. Still, feel free to get others involved...the more the merrier and all that.
Although I do appreciate the breather....
For today: Spider-Man is just an incredible ride. And it hurts that it is up against my favorite B&M inverted, but for best ride and total immersion - I have to give it to Spider-Man.
Kraken is one of the best coasters in the country. Not the biggest; not the fastest; not the "anything"est - but one which I just ride and re-ride and re-ride when I'm there. (It doesn't hurt that Seaworld customers tend to be less attracted to coasters, so the line is often very short.) Both Fire and Ice are more Yawn than not. Kraken for me.
I'm having a difficult time with Superman vs. Dudley. Frankly I wish both had lost in their first front fights and this would be El Toro vs Raging Bull like it should be. My vote goes to Raging Bull. Oh wait: it lost earlier. Then by default I'll vote for Superman since it was the ride that took Raging Bull out of this contest.
Finally this is another tough one but for total immersion of ride, much like it's inspiration (from Spider-Man), I'm giving this one to DarKastle.
And congratulation Robert on the huge turnout yesterday. I couldn't believe the number of votes when that round closed this morning. And welcome to all the new members. This is a great community of impassioned theme park fans. And really is there anything better? (OK, maybe if Missouri advances to the final four. Down by 6 at half-time. But we are a second half team.)
(I'm in denial about the NCAA's until my Northwestern Wildcats finally make the field.... Pity me.)
I was too busy thinking about the fact that the first Indy AA has more detail and movement than all 100 of the pop-up, barely animatronic targets on MIB.
While I am always disappointed in ride malfunctions, the previous list of ride problems is overstated. I was there last summer and it had, maybe three, problems. The Chambers of Destiny door being the largest. There is still so many things to see on that ride that I will always take it over the red-dot ride. A ride that pushed the envelope is always going to win against a ride that copied one. Spider-man is the clear next generation version of Indy.
Alright, enough of that old fight, as I said TH, you won fair and square and I am clearly in the minority.
It is funny how all of a sudden there is a war between Cedar Point and themed rides that I didn't know existed. I always felt that people like James and myself were well-rounded ride geeks who appreciated the value in all kinds of rides(except off-the-shelf midway ones). People like Mr. Rao and Scottland were some of the most vocal supporters of Dollywood coasters. Yet, here we are.
Oh by the way, if you want a Ghostbusters ride, you are going to have to fly to Singapore. They are planning on building the next generation version of MIB in their upcoming Universal park based on the Ghostbusters films.
I Respond: Assuming that said "AA" is actually being maintained and is operating properly. And that the light bulb in the (hopefully) timed reveal is not burned out so the riders (non-interactive ballast) actually get to see it.
(Chuckle)
However, the questions that keep coming up in this tournament are these:
Which ride would you want in your home park?
Which ride would you go on if you could only choose one?
In both cases Spider-Man is the ride I would choose. Without a doubt, and without peer, Spider-Man is still the best ride in North America. It was robbed last year, and will be robbed again this year unless some folks who don't normally get involved, get involved.
Oh yeah, one more thing. You're right, Raul, off-the-shelf midway rides blow. That's why when a park advertises that it has more rides (like, say, 75) than anyone else, but 2/3 of those are off-the-shelf midway rides, I just can't stop laughing.
Go Spider-Man.
To address one the other questions, the rides that belong "in my park" captivate the people, be it through gravity based coaster goodness, or interactive, immersive themes and scenery...and they captivate those people more than just a few times. Sometimes the choice between two rides isn't easy, and that isn't to say that the losers (cough...ToT...cough), aren't great rides. We all have our personal preferences, but it always comes down to what the people think.
I would love to see all the parks and their fan sites link up to this tournament, because it would produce the most accurate result possible. The majority of the people that attend our favorite places on Earth are likely not what we would deem "well rounded riders". They like what they like, and their opinion counts.
If this "sleeping giant" that Disney fans say they have comes out in force and votes for their rides, than the people have spoken. Their view on themed rides may be just as skewed and biased as some people's view on thrill rides...but the people have spoken, and it will be respected.
Lobbyists and campaigners, make your cases to the people and rally your party. Last round's voting numbers increased by as much as 600% because a couple of us did that very thing. And please, be nice and keep the fight clean. I saw a couple of comments on Cedar Point fansites that remarked on how snobbish and underhanded some of yesterday's comments towards them were. That's no way to be hospitable. Good luck to all the rides.
And Robert...sorry about the Wildcats. It is pretty sad that they have never, ever, ever, made the big dance, especially when teams from Ohio like Dayton and Toledo were there.
And who said thrilling rides can't be themed (or theme rides can't be thrilling)? There's nothing wrong with adding a little decoration and story to make attractions more immersive and memorable.
As for the drop in the number of votes, today's numbers are more indicative of what we normally see. I guess it just goes to show that "Fair"-weather fans only show up to vote for their rides...
Present company excepted, of course! =)
By the way James, I'm a big wooden coaster fan as well. Since I've somehow been crowned head Cedar Point fan of the site, I'll say this. The Beast will get my vote over Maverick. It's a better ride, it's timeless, and is still a blast after 20+ years of riding it. Kings Island is a short drive from my house, and I've visited at least once every year since I was a toeheaded lad, and several times in the past 10 years. Yes, the Cedar Point fans are now here in force, but the Kings Island fans have also been notified of this humble little tournament. Should make for an interesting matchup.
I'm happy to see the proper attractions (in my eyes anyway) advancing to the next round. I can't wait to see what happens.
James, you are right, you tube and even the parks own websites / fansites can be very helpfull in making a decision between rides that havent been ridden or even seen by someone who hasnt had the chance to enjoy them. i am sure i will have to rely on those tools in upcoming rounds or even the next contest.
P.S. The Beast is the best "woodie"....but thats just my opinion, i may be wrong!
I am a part of the Cedar Point/Cedar Fair/Kings Island crowd and am partial to their rides and parks (mainly because they seem to own all of the parks here in Ohio) but i have had the privledge of visiting many other parks as well and i cant wait to visit some of them again and some i haven't been to yet.
That said, i will have to agree with comments about using you tube or even the parks own sites to make a decision about rides that one has not had the chance to ride. I am sure i will be using these resources in the future, gotta do the homework if im gonna take the test!!
Sorry if there is another post that sounds very simmilar to this one, i forgot to log in before making my comment and didnt realize it untill after i hit the submit button, so now its a little more understandable where it came from.
P.S. The Beast is the best "woodie".....that i have ridden so far......but thats my opinion, i may be wrong.
And yes, Beast will get my vote as well. It is second only to The Voyage in my experience.
For people to be anti-Disney, or anti-(insert theme park name here), all it takes is one person who is irrationally loyal to a brand and takes offense to anyone "bashing" their beloved ride or park to make others not like said Disney fans.
Personally, I love basketball, but I can't stand March Madness because of a certain group of friends I have who don't know anything about basketball, don't watch the regular season, and claim to have followed NCAA basketball for years. Sure, to each his own, but when you've got them trying to shove March Madness and their brackets down other people's throats every year, yet they don't get what an illegal screen is, or why a foul is really a foul (or isn't), it gets irritating enough that it's not fun to hear people talking about NCAA brackets. But enough of that rant...
For a ride to be considered great, I'd say to take in consideration the idea that was mentioned earlier... is this ride awesome the first time I ride it, and is it still fun every time I ride it again? And even though MIB has "cardboard cut outs" it's still fun regardless... it's a great concept for a less than stellar franchise (but I still like the movies regardless of that fact). As for Indy, sure things aren't working as well as they used to, but for first time riders, not everything is noticeable. Of course a broken Boulder is horrible and doesn't make sense, but missing the other effects aren't that bad. It's different with Everest due to the context. A "broken" Yeti is still effective due to the speed that the train is flying by... it's one of those effects where if I never saw the actual animated Yeti, I wouldn't know any better.
Yesterday's voting did not involve any Cedar Fair rides, so the turnout was back down to the normal volume from the regular visitors.
I guess some folks on this site wanted to prove a point about being able to mobilize a mob. The mobilization point was proven, though I am not sure anything else was. So, for the remainder of this tournament it is going to come down to who can mobilize the biggest mob.
On the bright side, we did gain a few new regulars (Franklin, Audra, Doug, Adam, John, and Mark, to name a few) whose input is most welcomed and appreciated.
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Second choice, well I firmly believe that Kraken is the best coaster in Florida, if not the United States, for me it takes this vote.
I love Dudley-Do-Right, even more than Splash Mountain so that get's my vote.
In the last vote I went for Hulk, not too different to a standard B and M apart from that truly amazing launch.