With my recent visits to Holiday World, Kings Island and Lagoon, I revisited my top ten lists to see how things measured up. My top five steel list is now as follows:
1. Bizarro - Six Flags New England
2. Phantom's Revenge - Kennywood
3. Kumba - Busch Gardens Tampa
4. Diamondback - King's Island (newly added)
5. Cannibal - Lagoon (newly added)
So yes, IMO Cannibal is a top 10 steel coaster. (I was a bit surprised Diamondback ended so high on my list. But then again, I totally loved it) Granted, I have not been to Europe or Asia so basically my top coasters consist of only American coasters. After considering Maverick and Millennium Force, my #6 and #7 steel coasters, respectively, I felt Cannibal barely edged them out by having such a unique (and creepy) lift, a totally insane first drop, four inversions that left me apprehensive about holding my hands up, great pacing throughout the coaster, a silky smooth track, great theming, and very, very comfortable restraints. While I don't believe Cannibal is perfect, it is a solid thriller that does so much, so very well.
It will be interesting to see how this measures up on Mitch's poll later this year.