Vote of the week: What will be 2011's top new roller coaster?

February 26, 2011 at 12:57 AM · I didn't vote..but not because I didn't want to. It's not that the four listed coasters don't excite me...just that I don't expect to ride any of them this season. So the choices simply didn't work for me. The only new coaster I may ride this season is Untamed, if I make my virgin visit to Canobie Lake. There's also the East Coast version of Green Lantern at SFGAdv...but we're talking NEW coasters, right...;) That won't even be "new-to-me" since I rode it as Chang.

February 25, 2011 at 10:17 AM · Haha, thanks for the heads up about Untamed at Canobie Lake. I didn't even know about that until now.

February 25, 2011 at 10:21 AM · You don't have to plan to ride any of these this year to vote - just pick the one that most interests you for some ride, some day.

And, yes, I left the coasters relocated from Kentucky Kingdom out of the poll.

February 25, 2011 at 3:54 PM · How can any coaster fan not be excited by the fact that the Texas Giant, a classic (and, as usual, very rough) Dinn Corporation wooden coaster, is returning from a year-long hiatus transformed into an uber steel coaster with wooden supports??!! This "new" hybrid will have the steepest drop (79 degrees) and steepest bank (95 degrees) of any wooden coaster in the world! I am planning on making a trip down to the original Six Flags park in late May this year just to ride this beast. Heck yeah, it excites me!

February 25, 2011 at 3:05 PM · I'd love to ride all of these! Here's my rundown:
4-Green Lantern-this seems great fun but it looks short, with really long lines
3-Texas Giant-this looks like lots of fun but it seems to lack theme
2-Dare Devil Dive- while it seems like a less themed Mystery Mine, it is a lot bigger than Mystery Mine and it looks like it will have a lot more theme than the Giant and Green Lantern
1-Cheetah Hunt- This looks like an amazing launching coaster... like really big, fast, and did i mention theme? The construction already shows that the theme will be amazing

February 25, 2011 at 8:52 PM · For the "None of these..." voters, do you just not like coasters, or what? I am curious, nothing more.

February 25, 2011 at 9:46 PM · After having a look at the new Texas Giant, I'm very excited. Cheetah Hunt is nice and all, but the angles and banks on Texas Giant are just sick. Hopefully it's a success and other Dinn coasters that have lost their mojo will get similar treatment.

February 25, 2011 at 9:47 PM · My vote for Cheetah Hunt is due to the fact that another version of Cedar Point's Maverick is being added to one of my favorite parks (BGT). We have not been up to CP since Maverick opened, but from the reviews, layout and design (use of launches and hills) it seems like a really fun coaster. I am confident BGT will make it a great ride to enjoy in addition to their other world-class coasters (Montu, Sheikra, Kumba, etc.)

We live in metro Atlanta, have season passes to SFOG but are not really too excited about Daredevil dive. We rode "Mystery Mine" at Dollywood a few years back. It was fun, but nothing amazing. DDD will be a nice addition to our home park, and having a Euro-Fighter coaster at SFOG will be a notable distinction.

February 26, 2011 at 8:26 AM · How is Texas Giant not number 1? Cheetah Hunt is only 105 ft. and barely launches very fast, Green Lantern is just a small carbon copy of many coasters in Europe, and Dare Devil Dive coaster is not that unique.

Texas Giant is tall than all of these, faster than all of these, large and longer, more unique, and with crazy steep drops and twisted turns. Come on guys, Texas Giant will be awesome!

February 26, 2011 at 9:01 AM · I understand why Cheetah Hunt is #1... it looks to be a very unique, well executed coaster in a very popular theme park.

What I don't understand is how "None of these excites me, actually" is commanding second place. I guess there are a lot of people out there who don't like coasters. Honestly, all of these coasters look fun!

February 26, 2011 at 9:04 AM · Cheetah Hunt has some nice eye candy, and the track looks interesting, and a lot of people here are preoccupied with themes and aesthetics instead of the actual ride...which is why it's number one. Ten to one many of the people didn't even look at the other candidates before casting their vote. I'm sure that Cheetah Hunt will be great, but I'm very interested in how the Texas Giant turns out. It's success would be a very good thing.

February 26, 2011 at 9:12 AM · Agreed, Derek. We have a very beat up Dinn Corp coaster here at Worlds of Fun (Timber Wolf) that really needs a complete coaster makeover! Success for the Texas Giant might mean more classics could be upgraded in similar fashion.

February 26, 2011 at 3:53 PM · To say Dare Devil Dive is not very original is odd to me..... considering the idea of any roller coaster is not groundbreaking. Most roller coasters are a spin or variation of something that already exists (Cheatah Hunt is the one I am most interested in, but it's not the first launch coaster or something...... It's just got enough personality to it to make it interesting and make it seem different and stand apart from some of the others.... but Busch Gardens is already making multiple versions of it).

Considering that there are not many Euro Fighter coasters in the US, I am interested in seeing how the Dive coaster turns out. I am also interested in seeing how Texas Giant turns out, although it's not really a totally new coaster to me..... so much as a rehab of an old coaster to make it way more awesome hopefully..... but I do think it will be a big deal.

My least interesting one was Green Lantern..... when I saw the announcement for it..... I just did not really care. Maybe the failure of the movie is rubbing off on my perception of the ride a little, but it just does not look like something I would travel to ride. Maybe if it was closer to where I live I'd be more excited (and maybe that is why I am giving SFOG a break? hmmmm.....lol).

February 26, 2011 at 7:41 PM · The more i think about it i realize that The Texas Giant will likely be better than Dare Devil Dive. Cheetah Hunt on the other hand is a whole different creature. I realize that the Giant will have some mild theme and many unique features like the crazy angles and drops, but do they compare with Cheetah Hunt's elements? Somewhat, Cheetah Hunt has 3 launches, and many uniquely laid out sections. It comes down to what the elements add to the ride. Cheetah Hunt looks more promising in my opinion. the Giant is about 40-50 feet taller but the drop difference is only about 15-20 feet(it's hard to tell as the giant is growing ten feet). They are about the same speed(2 mph doesn't make much of a difference) and the Giant is only 500feet longer. Currently i would say they are very close but the amazing theme of Cheetah Hunt sets it far ahead(look at constructions pictures at BGTNation.net). And for those who claim that theme doesn't matter on a roller coaster, what would Expedition Everest be with out a mountain? or Manta with out its queue and area? In my opinion, Cheetah Hunt looks far more enjoyable than the Texas Giant(but I'd love to ride the Giant too).

February 26, 2011 at 10:50 PM · Frankly, almost any new or newly-refined coaster excites me, but for me the easy winner here is the Texas Giant--reading about the changes makes me want to book a flight there for opening day. A smoother version with a few new surprises and tweaks of that already-terrific coaster seems like a sure thing! The others are intriguing, but the Giant is the one that makes me want to be there--now!

February 27, 2011 at 5:07 AM · Anonymous poster above said:

"My least interesting one was Green Lantern..... when I saw the announcement for it..... I just did not really care. Maybe the failure of the movie is rubbing off on my perception of the ride a little,"

Ummmm...the Green Lantern movie hasn't come out yet. Green HORNET has, though. But I'm unaware of any rides based on that film...

February 27, 2011 at 5:26 AM · Just a little commentary on themed rides...

Expedition Everest, back when all its narrative parts were working (*sigh*), was a brilliant, immersive coaster that told an excellent and thrilling story. Cheetah Hunt, while amazing looking, is a thrill ride with some nice, decorative touches. Unless there is more to it than I have seen, it is not really in the themed (narrative) ride category. Cheetah Hunt looks more like Manta: pretty, but not much story involved.

February 27, 2011 at 6:59 AM · I voted to say none of these interest me, and I'm a coaster enthuisiast. Green Lantern looks like ones I've seen before just painted green. Cheetah Hunt I'm not sure about, the concept seems muddled. Texas Giant looks good, I guess. None of these would make me go to the respective parks specifically to check them out. If they were local to me maybe I'd be more excited, but none of them seem very memorable to me.

February 27, 2011 at 10:10 PM · Thanks Mike..... I was thinking about Green Hornet. The roller coaster layout and such for the Green Lantern I guess just did not blow me away, it was my least favorite of the ones listed (apparently I found it so uninteresting I mixed the Ryan Reynolds movie up with the Knocked up guys movie.....lol), but I anything is better than nothing and I am glad that all of them are coming out in 2011.

I do agree that Cheetah hunts added theming is what is making it appeal to me enough to make me want to go there to see it. And yes, the mountain does make Everest a lot of what it is..... which is probably one of my all time favorite roller coaster experiences.