We start the afternoon match-ups with Cedar Point Nation's Maverick taking on Cedar Fair sibling The Beast from Kings Island. Will Cedar Point rally its fans to defeat a coaster from its own corporate family?
Again, everyone, please read through the comments before casting your votes! Well-informed voters make for a better tournament. (Plus, reading the comments is more than half the fun of this thing, anyway.)
Busch Gardens The Old Country Williamsburg Europe Virginia's Apollo's Chariot takes on Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. Will Busch's fans turn out to eliminate another Disneyland favorite?
Anybody got anything to say? ;-) The comments await....
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I will be annoyed if Maverick wins by a blowout!
As for the other battle, I have to go with the Chariot, hands down. B&M hyper-twisters are incredible rides.
It will be a shame though when Maverick beats out The Beast because Maverick doesn't and will never hold any records and Beast has held the worlds longest wooden coaster record for 30 years. The "blind" CP voters just wont see it and i am sad for that.
( I may loose my CP/CF fan status for this comment but i gotta speak my mind and be fair.)
My choice is The Beast. Maverick is one of the very best roller coasters out there today. It's well designed, has a themed queue, and it's fun. I hate to not vote for it, but I said it before and I'll say it again. I've ridden Beast hundreds of times for over 20 years and it never, ever gets old. Racing through a thick forest at 65 mph on a wooden track is about the closest thing to riding a beast that you will get (especially at night), and the helix at the end is one of the most memorable moments on any ride...anywhere.
The second one is a tough one. Apollo's Chariot is undeniably a good one. It's fun all the way through. On the other hand, I've always liked Haunted Mansion and those effects...I'll have to think about that one.
I really loved Maverick and think it has everything a good coaster should have, but have never been on The Beast. I looked at the comments on this site and youtube, and decided that The Beast would get my vote. It looked just as good as Maverick (I love a good woodie), and it also allowed me to vent my anger at the mindless voters. I'll have to try to get to Kings Island this summer.
I have only been on WDW's version of Haunted Mansion, and it knocked my socks off. Evidently, DL's is rated even higher, which gives me more reason to vote for it. Apollo's Chariot is a great ride, but I feel that it is overrated, because, unlike Haunted Mansion, there are other rides that offer similar experiences (like Nitro.)
Much like my NCAA bracket, my predictions so far have been very, very wrong.
The Beast is a legend. It's probably my favorite wooden roller coaster. The tunneled Helix is the most intense spiral I've ever encountered. The thing about The Beast is that it has been tamed with trim breaks. The the only real airtime spot on The Beast is ruined by the magnetic brakes right before it. The speed The Beast was built for is lost to past generations (though I hear every now and then, they run it brakeless for coaster enthusiast events.) It's roughness is a bit extreme on some days, which is a downer (though a very small one.)
Which is why I'm giving my vote to Maverick. I have never been so impressed with a roller coaster since Millennium Force (Mavvie still doesn't win against Millie, but it's veeeeery close.) Maverick is non-stop action from start to finish (minus the slow-down for launch 2.) It has the most amazing airtime I've yet the experience (it's super-smooth, but oh so powerful.) Mavvie's "Stengal Dives" (the 2 overbanked turns near the end of the ride) are amazing. I've never experienced "lateral air" before. I also applaud Maverick for drawing such a crowd even though it's not a record breaker of any kind (though, the line times are annoying lol.)
So, my vote goes to Maverick. The Beast is among the highest quality of coasters, but for me, Maverick is the superior ride.
Apollo's Chariot is the best ride at either of the Busch theme parks. While I love the Haunted Mansion as much as anyone with mouse ears for a heart, I gotta go with AC as the better ride.
Audra, interestingly enough, I had this comment in the first round of the tournament: ...Apollo's Chariot was responsible for blasting Fabio in the face with a goose...in essence, AC gave Fabio the bird....what could be better than that?
You and I are kindred spirits, I think! ;)
It all depends on your perspective!
Maverick doesn’t break any records? Doesn’t it have the first drop that’s greater than 90 degrees? Or was there another one before it? I don’t know of one (not that that means anything). That 95-degree pitch is pretty cool!
It’s a tough choice but, based on my memory (which also has visions of the once-smooth Mean Streak), I have to go with the Beast. Besides, I love woodies even if they’re rough!
On the other hand, come on, Apollo’s Chariot against the Haunted Mansion (any one of them)? You’ve got to be kidding! No competition; HM wins hands down! It has that huge Pepper’s Ghost illusion that I didn’t really understand how it worked until I was in high school. Have you ever been in the elevator when people didn’t recite the opening spiel word-for-word? The scrim on the ceiling disappearing to reveal the hanging from the rafters is a work of art! The busts that follow you as you walk past? Come on people! It’s even better now that there’s a coherent story behind the ride! This one is a classic and it can’t go down against just another B&M coaster!
Will the afternoon competition go into the afternoon tomorrow? Seems rigged if it doesn’t! :)
Okay, breathe easy. Okay... okay.
Looks like Cedar Point may not have to link up anymore after all. Look at those vote totals after 3 hours. I'm sad that the Beast probably won't advance, but at least it lost to a worthy ride. Less than a month until opening day. I'll get my Beast fix soon enough.
I can see Griffon beating The Haunted Mansion (though I voted for Mansion), but Maverick beating The Beast AND Tower? And Pirates losing to Mummy? COME ON.
All is fair in love and war, but that doesn't mean it's respectable.
What...? Even the Beast fell to the mob? Is there no end to the insanity?
On top of that, the only remaining Disney rides are Broken Yeti and Danglin' over Movie. Well, I guess they had their fun last year.
I can only hope that the Busch fans can muster enough power to support Apollo's Chariot and Griffon. Probably not. Robert...when is the coronation for Millenium Force?
This is taken directly from the faq page on the Maverick website:
"Maverick itself will not break any world records. However, the focus of building Maverick was to create an all-around fun roller coaster. While all of Cedar Point’s rides deliver a different experience, Maverick will deliver one of the steepest drops on a roller coaster, fast-paced turns, eight “airtime” hills (where riders experience weightlessness), low-to-the-ground action and an exciting second launch"
I still like The Beast better.
http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/records/steel_records.shtml#steep
Plus that list looks out of date. There's a coaster at Indiana Beach called Steel Hawg with an 111 degree angle. It looks kind of weird though...and kind of cheap. And sorta wild mouse-ish. Anyone ridden it?
And with that I call it a day. Time to go catch up on 24, HEROES, and CASTLE. Monday night is a good night. Especially during football season.
See you all tomorrow!
I feel like I am voting rationally in congress... no matter what I do the crazy special interest mob is walking away with all of the trophies.
If this trend continues staples like Mythos and spiderman will be dethroned just like ToT was and we will end up with a fry cart and metal coaster (both from ceder point) being the best dining and ride respectively.
The credibility of this poll just doesn't seem to be valid this go around. And this has nothing to do with the parks involved. TO see a ride like ToT get stomped for a themeless coaster is really, really sad.
My Disney tastes seem to lean towards rides such as Pirates and Haunted Mansion because these rides are classic, original Disney concepts...developed before Disney threw their hat into the thrill ride ring. Their thrill rides always seem to fall flat with me because they rely too much on the theme and scenery and not enough on ride design. The coaster tracks are generic and mildly amusing, and most of the other thrill rides are quite frankly not worth their often endlessly long lines.
If they would take a 5000 foot, custom designed Intamin or B&M coaster track...or a GCI twister and apply the Disney theme treatment to it, then the great debate would be settled. They spend a hundred million bucks a ride, surely they can "splurge" on a real coaster track. Until they learn how to entertain thrillseekers without the theming, there will always be something missing from their thrill rides.
Anyway, Apollo's Chariot is my absolute favorite roller coaster. I think everything about that ride is incredible. Busch Gardens Williamsburg (or whatever it's called these days) is my my absolute favorite theme park. But to say Apollo is better than Haunted Mansion? That is quite questionable...
And also, Maverick being better than the legendary Beast??? Something is just not right with the voting today.
Just go with it gang...the pillaging of the tournament will all be over soon enough. A casual glance at the comments in any thread since the invasion began last Friday will clearly show the attractions most liked by people with a willingness to register, vote, and comment on this web site. And while there is a disconnect between the comments and the anonymous voting results, don't let it get you down. Just continue to vote with your comments.
Just think: this time next year the Cedar Point Invasion (CPI) will serve as an endless source of humor during a new tournament designed with the registered user in mind!
Patience, Grasshoppers, every dog has their day.
Besides, several new regulars have joined the site because of the increased traffic...it will be nice to have their continued input and unique perspective. It is always good to welcome more people into the Theme Park Insider Family.
Disney's Classic Rides (HM, PotC) are tough to beat when it comes to imaginative themes and story lines, but then Cedar Point and some of the Busch parks are hard to beat when it comes to fast, thrilling rollercoasters.
All in all it really just comes down to whos voting more - theme park enthusiasts or thrill seekers? This year it looks like the latter have shown their appreciation for their favourite rides more!
Roll on the Final Rounds!
... it got eliminated by Maverick.
Hopefully I won't miss out on future votes.
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Not sure about the other battle. Have been on Mansion in WDW, not DL, so not sure if there is a difference. However, in my looking up Apollo's Chariot, I discovered that Fabio was hit by a goose on its publicity run, so that could sway my vote! LOL