In our ever-lasting quest to explore new tournament formats, we're trying yet another way of running the tournament this year. Rather than place every type of attraction under the sun against each other as we have in the past, this year we've decided to focus on the attractions that Theme Park Insiders love most: themed rides. Based on your reader ratings, and with a little executive judgment thrown in, I've selected 16 top themed rides to participate in this year's tournament.
We'll get started Monday, with daily one-on-one match-ups until we've got a champion. Each weekday, I'll present a write-up of the day's contestants, along with photos and maybe some on-ride video, too. Then it'll be up to you to vote. Each vote will be open for just 24 hours, so you'll need to visit the site every day to not miss a match-up.
If you've been on both the rides in a daily match-up, great. You'll be a most-informed voter and I'll hope that you'll speak up in the comments to make the case for your favorite. But if you've not yet ridden both contestants, please do go ahead and vote anyway. Just read the descriptions, watch the videos, see what others are saying in the comments, and go with the ride you think you'd prefer. Think of it this way: If all that information we're giving you in each post was what you knew about the rides from a guidebook, and you were suddenly transported to a theme park with both of the day's competing attractions, which one would you want to ride first? Vote for that one, then.
Here are the rides that will compete for the 2013 Theme Park Insider Tournament title (in alphabetical order):
I've created a bracket, but I'm going to refrain from labeling the rides as 1-16, in an attempt to avoid biasing the vote. Plus, I've arranged the bracket to create what I hope will be the most interesting possible match-ups throughout the tournament, rather than trying to impose a strict ranking order on the rides.
So please be here on Monday for our first match-up, and stick with us daily for the following 14 contests in this year's tournament. Let the campaigning begin!
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Tokyo Disney.
(ducks)
(hides)
IMHO, Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean is the ultimate themed attraction. Spider-Man is a close second. The rest are all just variations on those unsurpassed masterpieces.
However, in response to Mr. Niles' post, the attraction on this list that I am most anxious to visit is Radiator Springs Racers. Maybe later this year....
XOXOXO!
Who's all against me?
Robert, would Journey fit in the space currently occupied by the Tommorowland Speedway?
And while the geography may require an interruption of the Walt Disney World Steam Railroad and the People Mover, these inconveniences would be temporary and decidedly small sacrifices considering the opportunity to amplify the entertainment value of the east side of the Magic Kingdom.
1. Some of these attractions exist in more than one park. I think what will happen is that will swing votes, as people will vote for it based on having been on ANY version.
2. I probably won't vote much, if at all. I've only been on some of these, and I don't believe in voting for something I haven't been on...rave reviews, awesome video, and vivid descriptions not-withstanding.
Might have liked Journey to Atlantis, just to mix in some Ea orld into the mix (kind of like a conference champion from a smaller conference in the tourney)
Wondering if later the coasters are going to do a similar style format tourney regardless of construction style
There should be a block on Disney and Universal :)
Assuming I picked the right park for clones the park breakdown is such:
IOA 3
MK 2
TDS 2
DL 2
USH 1
USF 1
DAK 1
DHS 1
DCA 1
So 11 Disney, 5 Universal and everyone else shut out
Still waiting for a showdown between Spiderman and Transformers and someone refering to Spiderman as the "classic"
You should only have new contests if a new ride causes a new comparison. Otherwise, don't do them so much.
Hmmmmm ...
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SNARK!