In our afternoon match-ups, we start with two Islands of Adventure neighbors: The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man taking on Incredible Hulk Coaster.
And we wrap up with another battle between an Orlando area themed coaster and a thrill machine from Cedar Point: Millennium Force versus Expedition Everest
Last chance for campaigning, in the comments.
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Everest on teh bottom but I really can't judge it too well since I can only go from what I read and see, having not been on Millenium.
Welcome to the Grand Illusion!
Turn your strobe lights on…
Get your disco balls spinning…
Raise you hands high above your head and put them together for… The Village People!!
And their very special guest:
Tonight’s special guest will be singing a new rendition of an old favorite, The YMCA.
Y - E - T - I
It’s hard to vote for the Y - E - T - I
Give the techies a call
Or the Yeti will fall
And the lawyers will have a ba-all
Y - E - T - I
How can you vote for the Y - E - T - I
I know he’s a load
Just ask Disney’s Joe Rhode
That’s why he's always in B Mo-ode
Y - E - T - I
I just won’t vote for the Y - E - T - I
He’s been standing all day
Just cause Disney won’t pay
What else do I have to say-ay
Y - E - T - I
Please don’t vote for the Y - E - T - I
Thank you…thank you very much!
And don't forget to tip your waiter or waitress!
The pinnacle of modern dark rides against a standard B&M coaster. Spider-man's virtues have been expressed many times here before. If Hulk were in Dollywood or SFwhatever, it might not have even been in this competition. Vote Spidey.
Millennium Force is as good as a coaster can be. Everest is an average coaster that is somewhat helped by its' minimal theming. On top of that, it's pièce de résistance hangs there like a statue. Believe in the Force.
Spiderman is just great!
BTW the Yeti is supposed to work, but its down right now. They can't close Everest down for too long. I really do not think that can be used against them!
MF over Everest. Forget the broken Yeti (they can strap down one of our Bigfoots from the Pacific Northwest and paint him white!). I love the Everest queue (which has some Bigfoot stuff in it), the mountain (which is almost as good as Matterhorn but I like the way you weave in and out of Matterhorn) and the switchbacks. But, the ride itself is mostly along the ground or in the dark (pitch dark with few effects). And, consider where that broken track was supposed to take you--to the moon? It goes straight up! Talk about suspending disbelief!
No, Millennium Force is the best coaster I've been on bar none. It wins. But I was surprised to see the previous round end so quickly. Could we have voting start/stop times posted the day prior?
The second vote I went with Everest. Yeti or no Yeti this is the best Disney Mountan bar none.
Expedition Everest vs Millennium Force:
I love Expedition Everest and think it is the greatest themed coaster of all time, but with a broken Yeti, it should not have made it to the Elite 8. Were it not for the Yeti issues, I would vote for Everest over any ride except Spider-Man. I always favor theme and thrills over thrills alone. Nevertheless, for today, I have no choice but to vote against Disney’s broken ride. It is not the grand protest I was hoping for, but it will have to do.
--> Doug, the track is going up because the Yeti ripped it out of the ground, not because Everest was supposed to be Journey to the Moon II. =D
Hulk vs Spider-Man:
No contest. Spider-Man: the character, has been in my life for about 30 years, having collected the Amazing Spider-Man comic since issue 120 all the way up to 500. I love the old cartoon, the first two Sam Raimi movies, and Stan Lee. Despite all the hype and high hopes I had for the Spider-Man attraction, it surpassed everything I had imagined. It is very possible that it will (in my mind, anyway) forever be the considered the best theme park adventure in the world. Ten years old and ultra-rich companies like Disney are still talking about developing a Spider-Man killer… but one has never materialized. Truly one of the best experiences available at any theme park, and certainly better than most any coaster (even one as incredible as the Hulk), go Spider-Man!
Okay... the kids are whining... I guess you do have to feed them everyday, after all. Back much later. Have fun!
Millennium Force over Everest- As stated previously, Everest is a nice piece of scenery on top of a boring coaster track, with a centerpiece that doesn't work properly. MF is speed, height, and gravity at it's finest.
It's about time you people started campaigning. I expect those of you who did so to withdraw your previous complaints and crying spells about "blind voters" and "linking up" to the tournament. Congratulations Mummy on your comeback...and good luck Disney fans on your campaign
Having Everest win the BRIA while its centerpiece is broken sends a horrible message to Disney - namely, that fans are sheep who don't care if Disney delivers a half-hearted attraction. If Everest is the BRIA, why take the time and spend the money to fix it? So long as enough people have warm memories of the ride having once worked, that's good enough.
That's the attitude that Disney had in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and it drove many fans nuts, caused others to start looking toward other parks, and eventually cost Michael Eisner his job. I really, really don't want to return to those times. So, please, let's not send that message to Disney by advancing Everest to the title.
Spider-Man over Hulk should be easy, but there appears to be some strong anti-Spidey sentiment out there, for some reason. I wish that those individuals would post, and tell us why.
As I have said from the beginning: whichever side brings the biggest Mob wins the fight. Anonymous Voter, this is your contest now.
I'm out... no more putting it off... the kids need me, more than you all do! =)
Hulk is one of my favorite orlando attractions; the launch is enough to make my entire day. Additionally, unlike many roller coasters, Hulk actually has a plot. There is a theme to this coaster, while not comparable to that of Spiderman, that is clear from the queue.
Before I rode Everest, I knew the hype. I had been tracking the construction footage as soon as it began. So, when I went to disney the year it opened, it was supposed to be the highlight of my trip. It, unfortunatly did not live up to this hype. IMO, there are way too many stops within the ride. While the theming is amazing, the ride itself is quite boring. And, on top of that, I did not even spot the Yeti until my second ride.
For me the choice is quite clear, Millennium is superior to Everest
Spiderman vs. Hulk
My one and only visit to IOA was on an overcast November day, so I was lucky and was able to ride all of the major rides in less than half a day, and Hulk was the first ride of the day. Needless to say, having only ridden the two B&Ms at Cedar Point until that moment, I was blown out of the water when I got off! Launching into the zero-g roll and then diving right down into my favorite inversion, a gigantic cobra roll, followed by a misty tunnel was simply amazing. It set a really high bar for the rest of my day, and Dueling Dragons Fire was the only other coaster that came close to that bar (I was really disappointed by Ice, especially since it had a cobra roll).
Spiderman was a great ride experience, but I found the line to be about as exciting as it was sitting in the control booth of Matterhorn last summer, so that really hurts my view of the ride's overall experience. Sure, it had some cool touches if you're a comic book fan, but I'm not, and it didn't do much to interest me. Maybe its because I visited in November, maybe some things were missing or not running, but it failed to excite me very much. Now, as I was boarding the ride, that's a very different thing. The part of the line right before I boarded was actually exciting and interesting, but only lasted about 5 minutes, versus the half hour I had spent in the rest of the line (that includes walking slowly and even stopping to admire the surroundings, still wasn't impressed). The ride itself is great, the story is immersive, and you get off thinking wow, that was amazing. But in the end, for me, Hulk was the more exciting experience, so it gets my vote.
MF and Everest
Having only been on Millennium, you could say my vote isn't fair here, and I will not even mention anything about Everest or the non-functioning Yeti. While the Force is only my 3rd favorite coaster at the Point it is still quite possibly the most recognizable and talked about coaster alongside Top Thrill Dragster, and for good reason. The first drop doesn't feel like it pulls out of its steepest part right as you hit it, unlike a lot of other coasters I have been on, making it the second best drop in the park. The sheer speed that you blaze through the course with is mind boggling when you think about it, and the floater air at the tops of the hills as you cross the lagoon is top notch. The ride maintains its speed almost completely throughout the course without the normal pacing issues that you normally find on large rides, and as such the final turn into the brakes is as forceful as the first turn, and that bunny hop is the smoothest moment of ejector air (I've ridden with a "loose" bar and belt, its ejector air) that I have ever experienced. All of these things make it without a doubt one of the best rides in the world. The only two rides at Cedar Point that I enjoy more are Magnum (2), and Maverick (1). It is third because it is actually so smooth that after riding it as many times as I have, its becoming a little less exciting.
Everest over Millennium.
Questions?
Spiderman is the greatest theme park attraction ever created. Like others before me have said, nobody has been able to equal, much less surpass, the entire package that Spiderman provides from the minute you get in the queue to when you fling the 3-D glasses back into the bins as you leave the ride grinning from ear to ear.
Hulk, to its credit, probably has the best first 10 seconds of any coaster ever assembled that runs longer than a minute. The first ten seconds of Hulk, I'd put up with anything on god's green planet. The ride dramatically teeters off as soon as you hit the MCBR, and that kills it for me. Hulk is the ultimate Red Bull and Vodka ride, with the first 30 seconds being red bull upper and the last minute or so being the vodka downer.
Spiderman, on the other hand, delivers thrill after thrill. I will NEVER EVER forget the feeling I had after the first time I rode Spiderman. I am sure many others would say the same.
I have never ridden Millenium Force but will be making my CP trek within a year or two if all goes well. I am absolutley looking forward to MF and Maverick and the other coasters, but I am challenging all the anonymous people voting to vote for the best ride in each bracket. Otherwise, the ride from your park may "win" by the cheapest means, and to me, this is the greatest compliment to Spiderman that I can see.
What the Cedar Point people are essentially admitting is that MF and Maverick have no shot against Spiderman, so they're ganging up and pushing Hulk through. That's a crying shame. Spiderman is the greatest ride ever made, and I will not argue this.
And although I'm still doing the "Y-E-T-I" here in my office thanks to James' rockin' tune, it's Milennium Force all the way. MF leaves me breathless everytime and does deserve a top ranking.
I'm sure that if Spiderman loses to Hulk, people will somehow blame it all on Cedar Point voters. If you read above, they are starting to already.
The Red Bull analogy is spot on
I'm still voting Spidey. And MF, just because WDW has a habit of no upkeep to speak of. Even if it has facial hair.
Alright, there really isn't much contest for the Millennium vs Everest ride. It's Millennium all the way. Millennium is THE BEST coaster I have ever been on. I feel like I am flying when I ride Millennium. The drops are AWESOME!! Air time is AWESOME! The ride is so smooth. It's my favorite coaster. I was looking so forward to Everest when it debuted. I even made the trip to DW in JULY (which I don't like doing!) to check it out. The ques are great and well themed. But the ride was disappointing, the hill is lacking, the coaster isn't that great. The coolest part was going backwards in the dark. But I didn't think the ride wasn't as suspenseful or thrilling as it was suppose to be. The themeing tries to hide a poor ride, but it just can't. When I rode the ride the Yeti was working and was pretty cool. But time and after time I hear the Yeti isn't working and I wonder why Disney can't fix it. It seems like an essential part of the ride and doesn't reflect well on Disney's ability to keep it running. Anyways, I was sad that Maverick didn't beat ROTM, but I can understand it. But there is no way Millennium should go down to Everest.
Now, MF vs Everest ...MF definitely wins it here. Everest is probably my favorite ride at WDW, but is basically a coaster with some fancy queuing - which, I'll admit is nice. However, MF is probably the best coaster ever. And, comparing the coaster aspect, MF hunts the yeti down and clubs it over the head with a big stick. So, the bit of theming applied to Everest in no way makes up for how much better MF is as a coaster. Besides, the Yeti is apparently broken. Y - E - T - I ...
You are also right about Spidey... it should be winning.
And don't look now, but it is making a little push here at the end. Come on Universal fans, give it up for:
Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Does whatever a spider can!
The Final Four should be Millennium, Spidey, Apollo and Mummy. That is an extremely worthwhile group that no one can complain about.
"I am a real American..fight for the rights of every man"
Wait...wrong Hulk.
Honestly, it's quite an upset if Spiderman loses to a coaster that MAY make the top 20 coasters in America on my well traveled list. The Hulk launch is fun, but B&M coasters grow on trees in the regional market, and after the launch, it becomes a pretty stock B&M looper. It really doesn't deserve to go to the next round...In fact I kind of dispute it's place in this round.
Really? Hulk over Spiderman? Oh well, I suppose it would set the stage for a Cedar Point vs. Universal showdown, which comes down to voter turnout. Isn't it funny how it appears to have come down to that. It seems that Disney will be absent from the final four. Did anyone have that in their bracket?
Don't get me wrong, Hulk is great. But Millenium Force is probably going to win 72%/25% and walk to the championship round. I see it as Millenium Force versus Mummy or Apollo's Chariot for all the marbles. As a Floridan, I can't help but root for Mummy, which happens to be in my home park. I've never rode Apollo or MF, but I'm locked towards MF over Hulk and leaning towards Mummy over Apollo.
Tower went out very early. Spidey looks to be done in the Elite Eight. I'm both intrigued by and dissapointed with how this tournament has progressed. The thing about Spidey, and Tower to a lesser extent, is that unlike most roller coasters, you can ride while it's raining outside. Also, unlike most of the coasters, those rides have minimal height restrictions so that the whole family can enjoy a state of the art ride.
I understand the lure of "finally being tall enough" and taking your first ride on The Beast or Millenium Force. I absolutley do. But I get the sense that some only focused on the thrill aspect when voting. With each ride on Spidey or TOT, one sees the little things, whereas you pretty much see the same thing every time you ride a coaster. On the other hand, riding Spidey 10 times in a row would get old pretty quickly, whereas riding MF or perhaps Apollo 5 to 10 times in a row would be more appealing.
Edit: Polls closed again at Spiderman 50-49, opened back up, and now look closed for good at 51-48. What gives?
Glad to see that Spidey beat out Hulk, tomorrow's contest is going to be CRAZY!
Gratz to Millennium Force on the big win, finally ousting that darn broken Yeti that has haunted me since the first round!
Gratz to Spidey on a huge comeback. I love you, man!
Props to Robert for keeping things entertaining.
Props to Busch for staying constant.
Props to Universal for a huge showing today.
Props to Cedar Fair for getting ALL of us motivated.
And a big fat SHAME ON YOU to Disney for not showing up at all.
I'm probably out most of tomorrow (I actually have a lot of work to do - this tournament is killing my productivity!), so, keep it real, gang... and try to get along!
Blackout, is that you? Kudos, for coming on board. Welcome to the TPI family... and once again, my apologies for the other day (click here and read the sixth comment from the bottom). I was passing through all five stages of grief and it was not pleasant, just ask Scottland, Don, Raul, or the police that came and took me away. Anyway, here's to a long and fruitful relationship.
Wow. Spidey takes Hulk. Big shocker. Not like this site praises Spidey like a god, or anything.
Oh, and Disney's last contending attraction loses to a coaster so smooth that it could only be compared to horse tranquilizers. Guess that could be a good thing.
This tournament has really brought out the worst in me. Sorry.
Looks like somebody is watching the tournament very closely, and has a theory about Spiderman's win. What's this noise I keep hearing about the polls closing 3 times last night?
And while it might be called TPI, I would say that the site as a whole has embraced all style of parks (except water parks lol) and the Theme part was probably more about the origins of the site and Robert's history of working at Disney but he can provide additional commentary if necessary.
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