Contrary to reports otherwise...

[cprocks22]

I'm sick of people whining about how rough this ride is and then turning around and calling Voyage "violently intense." That's s pretty huge load of crap. Voyage is WAY rougher than Beast, no matter where you sit. The real reason, though, that I rank Beast higher than Voyage is its infinite re-rideability. A person can stand three, maybe four rides on Voyage in a row without a short break.

 

I rode Voyage 35 times in a row without getting off the train. No probs.

 

Yeah IMO Beast is MUCH rougher then Voyage (I still like the Beast...in certain seats). My friend and I both absolutely loved Voyage (I'm still deciding if it's my number 1 wooden coaster or not), but on the beast only a day later, well we both pretty much broke our necks in the double helix at the end. This made no sense to me because I rode it the year before and LOVED it, It was fun, fairly smooth and the double helix at the end was awesome! I'm still trying to figure out what happened between 1 year ago and last year.

 

Other rides:

 

Millennium Force - Yeah it's a little dull and lacks the airtime of some other coasters but its a fun ride. I can't remember a ride where I didn't pull into the station laughing my a$$ off. It's still in my top 10

 

Batman The Dark Night (SFNE) - I don't understand why everyone dislikes this ride. When I went on it I loved it, it was forceful, smooth and just a lot of fun. While it's not in my top 10 I did enjoy it when I rode it.

 

Italian Job Stunt Track (KI) - I actually love this ride. Like Millennium it's just so much fun! While it lacks some airtime it still has some nice forces on the first helix after the launch and it's just an all around fun ride.

[texcoaster]

As long as this thread is breaking off into tangents, I'll add this one:

 

At Europa Park, I had heard all about Silver Star and Euro Mir and the mouse with the funky elevator lift and the Schweizer Bobbahn and all...

 

But there was a coaster there called EuroSat. I knew nothing about it other than a name. I discovered that it was some sort of enclosed coaster. It kicked my butt. I LOVED IT!

 

I exited the ride thinking "why hasn't anyone told me about this before? That was GREAT!"

[Tanks4me05]

-Hydra: The Revenge - It's actually surprisingly forceful. People go around saying it pulls like 1.5 G's, but it probably pulls around 3, so it really is not forceless. The first drop has a nice pop of air, and the Jo Jo Roll was pretty fun. The most forceful part I remember was the Cobra Roll. Plus it has an almost graceful aura to it.

 

-Mantis - Yeah, it hurts at the end, but that's what I like about it - the throw you around character of it is really fun IMO. Plus that ride is really intense.

 

-Ride of Steel - Yeah, it has a flat section, and the helices are big, but the flat section gives you a nice sense of speed, and the Intamin Rattle it has actually increases the sense of speed. Plus, the airtime over the hills, (although not as many in terms of sheer number) actually is close to SFNE's Superman in terms of intensity. Plus, the helices have caused me a gray out or two, and I found a bit of "riding etiquette" to maximize the G's - lean in the opposite direction the helices are traveling to get the most G's.

 

-B:TR - SFNE - The back seat is a little rough, albeit painless (it's more of an Intamin Rattle) but the front seat is more forceful, anyway. The ride is compact and quite intense, that ride is great. Even better, right before closing, there was virtually no line, so I basically got an informal ERT of a good 4 or 5 consecutive rides between the front and back row. I never knew that thing had a trim until someone told me on coasterfuel.com yesterday...

 

-Mind Eraser - SFNE - I was expecting a world of hurt after all that I heard about this seemingly infamous ride. But by the time I actually rode it - I was baffled... it was painless. The restraints were so soft, I could actually focus on the intense ride that it really is. I even considered putting it my top 10! Who would have guessed, an SLC almost made my top 10 steel list.

 

-Mean Streak - Yes it hurt, but it was big, and that "kick you around" character is what I like about the ride.

[Top Thrill Dragster]

For me

 

Hurler at KD- I don't understand why people hate this ride. I rode about 20 times during my visit and not once did I come off in pain. The ride had great laterals, ejector and floater air time, and no line.

 

X- Yes it is a violent ride, but if you staple yourself into you seat the ride is VERY enjoyable and intense.

 

Deja Vu- People say its rough, I just don't get it. My head gets banged around more on Batman The ride, than Deja Vu.

[DenDen]

Flashback at SFMM, beat the crap out of me but I giggled every second, then got back in line.

 

I have to agree with this one. I loved Flashback! AND...

 

Steel Phantom, everyone thought it was excessively rough, but in a proper seating position, I rode it 230 times, no problem!

 

King Cobra at PKI was one of my favs as well. It's the only stand up I've been on, but I really liked it. Even though it was a TOGO, it reminded me of a Schwartzkopf.

 

And, lastly, though most people thought it was such a "boring" ride, I loved LaserLoop at KW. Not just because it was my first steel coaster, but compared to other shuttle-loops, I liked the strength and ridged machanical-feel to the fly-wheel version.

[thomas2]

Definately Silver Star. Alot of people said it's boring and 'meh', but I just loved it. The tall hills were like heaven for me

[almightyfire]

Well I actually just really got into the forum thing earlier this year so I didn't know of anyones opinion of coasters until I joined here. So actually I haven't ridden anything after I read an opinion or heard of an opinion, but I see coasters on here that I have ridden in the past that people were giving bad reviews of and I disagreed.

 

Flashback SFMM

X SFMM

GHOSTRIDER KNOTTS

and a few others.

 

Now I did remember one that I was excited about because of advertisement and publicity back when it was new and I jumped on a plane to go and ride was

 

 

THE BEAST

 

Nothing special about this ride. I like humps with airtime and I didn't get any on this coaster.

 

Now I was excited because it was a terrain coaster but it did totally nothing for me.

[PKI Jizzman]

^The Beast has no humps, it has helices and gradual decents/ascents. One dip. Go for the Racer for the humps.

 

Flight of Fear - Some say the MCBR killed the ride...I don't think it did at all. It's fun to squish the person next to you as you slowly go around the two curves...and there is great hangtime in that final helix! Oh, did I mention that cobra roll is INSANE?!

[steel]

Hydra - If you sit in or near the back, the ride is quite forceful and much smoother than you might think. Good airtime throughout the ride. Jojo roll is fantastic.

 

Steel Force and Mamba - I LOVED Steel Force. It ran really fast and packed in a bunch of fantastic airtime. The MCBR wasn't even that strong. Mamba is basically a slightly extended version of Steel Force. The air on Mamba's second hill is incredible and the positives in the helix are very under-appreciated.

 

 

I won't bore you any more with my thoughts about Voyage, but I will say that I do love it. It's my number four coaster and I don't see it moving any time soon. Please, though, go ride it in row 3 and you'll see exactly why I say it's so rough. I was unlucky enough to take my first ride on it in that row and it almost put me off Gravity Groups forever.

[Nemesis Inferno]

Deja Vu - Not bad at all, when compared to the normal Boomerangs which are insanely brutal... See also Invertigo...

 

On the other hand, I still like to make my dislike of Tatsu and X known... And dislikement of SheiKra...

 

So against the grain are those 3

[Looty]

Mamba, Maverick, Disaster Transport, Wildfire, and X are just some of the rides I've heard mediocre reviews of...and I loved them all. I read an article about Kinzel some time ago and he said how Disaster Transport is one of the business decisions he regrets (or something like that), but I really enjoy it. Also, I think Wildfire has the best location of any roller coaster I've been on. yeah its short, but the view on the first drop is amazing.

 

As far as rides that didn't live up to the hype:

 

I think the most disappointing ride experience i've had was on Apollos Chariot. I really don't see how it's ranked in any poll to be honest. It was extremely boring and dull...there was no air or nothing. Same goes for Nitro too. Also, I heard nothing but great reviews of Kentucky Rumbler, but here again, didn't think it was all that great. It wasn't horrible or anything, but I think Renegade (and even OzCat) are both better than KR.

 

The most underrated coaster: PHANTOMS REVENGE...hands down!

I know it's ranked and everything, but i never hear/see people talking about it...I really think it gives MF a run for it's money. It's just pure fun. Goliath at SFOG was pretty good too.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!...and remember: That next yummy bite of turkey may come back to bite you in the ass next time you wanna ride an Intamin!

[texcoaster]

As far as rides that didn't live up to the hype:

I heard nothing but great reviews of Kentucky Rumbler, but here again, didn't think it was all that great. It wasn't horrible or anything, but I think Renegade (and even OzCat) are both better than KR.

 

Careful, there are folks who will tell you that your opinion is WRONG if you don't adore Ky Rumbler.

 

I'm not one of them. I thought it was kinda fun, but fairly lame. It seemed like there was a lot of potential there that was untapped. Meh.

[IwantRevenge]

Revenge of the Mummy (USH) No one mentions it, no one cares about it, everyone prefers the one in florida yet this ride was a blast, great fun, and a cool launch.

[steel]

As far as rides that didn't live up to the hype:

I heard nothing but great reviews of Kentucky Rumbler, but here again, didn't think it was all that great. It wasn't horrible or anything, but I think Renegade (and even OzCat) are both better than KR.

 

Careful, there are folks who will tell you that your opinion is WRONG if you don't adore Ky Rumbler.

 

I'm not one of them. I thought it was kinda fun, but fairly lame. It seemed like there was a lot of potential there that was untapped. Meh.

Wow, I thought I was alone. I was too afraid to voice my opinion about Rumbler until now.

It may have had something to do with the fact that I was on doctor's orders to wear an eyepatch that day or the fact that I had recently gotten a piece of metal taken out of my eye with a drill or the fact that the eyepatch was making me feel faint, but even in the back row, I didn't find it all that exciting.

I really need to get back to Beech Bend. My experience there was not good, and it had nothing to do with the park.

 

There are so many of these under-rated coasters that I agree with. Flight of Fear is awesome, especially with the lights on. Deja Vu is way more fun than you might think. Maverick is my #2 coaster (imagine that, all of my top three coasters have been mentioned in this thread) and the only reason it isn't #1 is its OTSRs. I'm always up for a ride on Disaster Transport. Nice thread.

[Tanks4me05]

Oh, yeah, I forgot about Boomerangs. Of the five I have ridden (HP, TGE, DL, LC, and SFNE) none of them hurt at all. Plus, you also have to realize that those babies pull 5.2 G's. The only coasters that pull any more than that that I'm aware of are a few select Schwarzkopf's, B&M Flyers, and the grand daddy of them all, Gold Reef City's Tower of Terror (6.3 G's! - Worm definitely has something unique for his homepark)

[What Now]

Better:

Mantis: This is actually a fun ride.

 

New Mexico Rattler: You hear nothing about this ride, but it's awesome!

 

LoCoSuMo: Ever since the damned thing opened, I heard how rough it was, but it just wasn't when I rode. If it weren't for Cornball, it'd be my favorite coaster at that park.

 

Worse:

Legend: Maybe it's just not my style of coaster. I found it to be rough and had to many laterals for my liking.

 

Raging Bull: The trims kill it.

[cycamps]

Disaster Transport. I haven't heard many good things about it, but I still enjoyed it.

[Sean Menefee]

I feel dirty for saying this but Hydra was one of my favorite new credits on my huge midwest/east coast trip over the summer. Then again I also thought Dominator was a rattling piece of junk, so I might be loosing my mind.

 

I also got my first DejaVu experience at Gurnee this year, and was super surprised by how smooth it was. On a thrill scale not many coaster pack more of a punch IMO.

[TopThrill182]

Better than things I had heard:

 

Viper at Six Flags Great America

 

I actually thoroughly enjoyed this woodie, and would love to get up there to ride it again.

 

Deja Vu

 

I'm amazed these rides don't get more recognition. I love all three installments in the US, especially the late SFOG one.

 

Worse than things I had heard:

 

The Beast at Kings Island

 

I had heard so much about this one and how great it was, but I thought it was a huge disappointment. It was just a slow meander through the woods. The ending helix was cool, but that was about it.

 

Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure

 

I thought this was pretty blah despite all the amazing things I had heard about it. Just a lot of bunny hops with mediocre air.

[christianscoasters]

Viper at SFMM. The front seat was very smooth! Very forceful ride. I enjoyed it a lot!

 

Colossus at SFMM. I rode in the back. It wasn't smooth by any means, but it has so much airtime! Especially compared to what I've been on...

[Goliath513]

Flashback SFMM - I rode this long before I heard anything about it or other coasters. I liked it.

 

Roar SFDK - I have heard people bash this by saying it's too rough. This is one of the smoother woodies I have ridden. Nothing wrong with that.

 

Grizzly CGA - I don't remember this being the death machine like people say. It was just as smooth as other woodies I've ridden.

 

Twister 2 EG - Rough? Not it's not! Most enjoyable ride in the park. Go across town and ride Cyclone for roughness (even that's a good ride).

 

Flying Coaster EG - Sure, it's no B&M or Vekoma flyer masterpiece, but it's good enough for me.

 

Ghostrider KBF - Love this ride! Just awesomeness!

 

Colossus SFMM - Roughness is a feature that adds to the experience of the ride. They can't all be Swiss engineered El Toros & Balders.

 

 

I guess I just have a high tolerance for roughness on woodies. I probably would have liked Psyclone if I had got the chance to ride it before they removed it. I try to look beyond roughness on coasters to see the good in them. Take Lakeside's Cyclone for example - there are many people on the forums I am registered to who if they rode it would probably love to see it meet the same fate as Psyclone. I have heard people say that about all the woodies listed above. I mean c'mon people, just because a ride is rough does not mean it's bad. Even with Riddler and Tatsu, I still think Viper is one of the best rides at SFMM. SLCs and Boomerangs are also good rides even if they are the more rough of some coasters out there. Yeah I do occasionally bash them like everyone else, but at least I just try to give all coasters an equal chance.

[hemmy]

I hate to sound like a broken record here but...

 

Disaster Transport is def. a fun ride, and unless it is just the love-to-hate Cedar Point attitude or the fact they think they tried to copy Space Mountain I have no idea why people dislike it so much.

 

Another one for me, is the Hulk. The Hulk IMO is just as good as DD: Ice in the front and clearly better than anywhere on Fire.

 

Not super intense, but I like it that way. It has become a little rough, but the launch is good, and the beginning of the ride is just awesome.

[DBru]

Better than reviews:

Maverick: From the beginning people dogged on this coaster because of the restraints, but I fell in love with it. The airtime and speed are just pure bliss! It's my new #1.

 

Son of Beast: I don't know why people think this is so bad. Even with the Premier trains the ride had good speed and an awesome first drop! The rosebowl is rough, but I see it as strong intensity, and I liked it!

 

Millie: MF is full of airtime and fun overbank elements, why do people think there is something wrong with it?

 

Disaster Transport: I found it to be fun and well worth the wait.

 

Italian Job: Stunt Track: The coaster has a fun launch, some air in the front and back seats, good scenery, and the indoor section is great!

 

Skyrider: I for one enjoy TOGO coasters, and this is my favorite stand-up.

 

Cheetah: Yes, it has G-trains, but I rode this air-filled coaster over and over with no pain what-so-ever!

 

 

Worse than reviews:

Raptor: It was fun for the most part, but on the very last turn into the brakerun, the train made a strange jolt and banged my head into the OTSR. OWWW! The whole train was complaining about it at the end of the ride, is this unusual?

 

Thunderhead: It is a fun ride and everything, but what is so great about it? There is minimal airtime and I just got bored after a while.

 

The Legend: Though the coaster was somewhat smoother this season, you can only turn to the right so many times before your tolerance runs out.

 

Vortex(KI): Lots of people try to defend Vortex, but I think I would better enjoy jumping of a cliff while hitting myself in the neck with hammer.

 

Vortex(CW): Hurt way worse than Top Gun.

 

Georgia Cyclone: Everyone raves that this is the star of the park, but IMO, there is too much pain to enjoy the airtime.

 

 

 

SFKK Note:

The park has very much improved these last few years. I noticed this past season that the employees were more friendly and helpful than ever. They even tried to entertain the crowd in the station. At times when people were sitting on the rails, I thought it was funny when operators dropped the hint by saying, "If you are not sitting on the rails, raise your hand." Haha, I cracked up every time. For a small-medium sized park, there is a good collection of coasters, including some stars such as Thunder Run, Chang, and Greezed Lightnin'. Yes we do have T2, and yes, our flat ride population is decreasing year-by-year, but I believe that SFKK is headed in the right direction.

 

Now if only Mr. Shapiro would show us some love....

[Bucket]

Before my visit to Alton Towers last summer, I was told that AIR was a very boring and tame roller coaster. As I have never ridden a flying coaster before and as AIR wasn't as intense compared to Nemesis, I thought it was quite the experience and loads of FUN! They should build more flying B&M coasters here in Europe!

[viking86]

Better:

 

-Both the SLC's I have ridden (Tizona and Blue Tornado). A bit rough, particularly the last one, but still a very exciting, intense ride and not rough enough to be painfull for me.

 

-Nemesis Inferno. You dont hear much about this coaster, but I thought it was really good. The pre-lift part was awesome.

 

-Magic Mountain @ Gardaland. A standard Vekoma double-loop/double-corkscrew coaster with Arrow trains. I expected a bad ride, but I actually ended up riding it 3 times in a row.

 

-Vilda Musen @ Gröna Lund. Ive heard several people complain about this ride being rough, but I actually think that this may be the best coaster in the park. Jetline wasnt running as good as last year, so I think I had more fun on Vilda Musen this year.

 

Worse:

 

-Colossus @ Thorpe Park (2005). I knew it was going to be a bit shaky, but it felt like it was going to shake itself apart. The hard restraints around your ears didnt help much either. I have yet to come off a Vekoma ride in pain. The same cant be said about Colossus. I also thought the layout was quite boring as well, so that didnt help.