It's your turn to help pick the best of the best in the worldwide theme park community. Final-round voting is now open to determine the Best Roller Coaster honor in our annual Theme Park Insider Awards.
Our defending champion is Jurassic World VelociCoaster at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure. This year, we have 11 other finalists competing to take VelociCoaster's crown. These finalists were determined by Theme Park Insider readers' nominations, submitted over the past year via www.themeparkinsider.com/vote.
Today is your last chance to submit nominations for the Best Attraction award. Just hit that link to nominate up to 40 rides and shows for this year's honor.
Nominations in all categories are used to determine which attractions we recommend on our Theme Park Visitors Guides. These guides will be updated based on this year's new recommendations, starting January 1.
That's also the date when I will announced the winners in our Best New Attraction and Best Theme Park categories, for which final voting is now underway. Just follow those links to vote, if you have not already.
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I forgot to submit nominations for this year, but here's my current top 20 out of over 700 coasters ridden worldwide:
1. Steel Vengeance @ Cedar Point
2. Iron Gwazi @ Busch Gardens Tampa
3. Fury 325 @ Carowinds
4. Hakugei @ Nagashima Spa Land
5. Twisted Timbers @ Kings Dominion
6. VelociCoaster @ Universal Studios Islands of Adventure
7. Maverick @ Cedar Point
8. El Toro @ Six Flags Great Adventure
9. F.L.Y. @ Phantasialand
10. Pantherian @ Kings Dominion
11. Wildcat's Revenge @ Hersheypark
12. Lightning Rod @ Dollywood
13. Shambhala @ PortAventura Park
14. Expedition GeForce @ Holiday Park
15. Skyrush @ Hersheypark
16. Voyage @ Holiday World
17. Taron @ Phantasialand
18. Schwur des Karnan @ Hansa-Park
19. Outlaw Run @ Silver Dollar City
20. Wonder Woman Flight of Courage @ Six Flags Magic Mountain
I just want to point out the importance of maintenance because El Toro was my #1 coaster for a long time, but last time I rode it (2018), it clearly hadn't been maintained well and it dropped out of my top 10. Can't speak for how it is now (2 major accidents later). Hades at Mt Olympus is another one that used to be amazing and was my #1 when it first opened but that parks maintenance is horrendous and the ride went from being top 10 to bottom 10 after a few years.
How is Ride to Happiness, not on this list?
Beats out F.L.Y. and Voltron, yet they are listed ....
I agree with Mako, Ride to Happiness is my current number one coaster.
However, since it’s not here, I voted for Steel Vengeance.
Cheetah Hunt. Cresting the hill before the figure-eight after the second launch is a unique sensation ive never felt in any other ride. One and done inversion that i forget exists until im in it. Great canyon run especially nice when water effects are on day or night. Ive graduated from coasters and care more about themed rides. So if i can only have 1 this is it.
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I have not been on every coaster in the world, but Lightning Rod is the best coaster I have experienced. Was even better when the launch was working, but regardless is still the best I've been on.