The "Pleasant/Unpleasant Surprise" Thread

[XYZ]

My first ride on El Toro. I expected an amazing ride and I was so excited about it, I went on it first. Though, it was rather sluggish in the April morning, so it was a big letdown for me. Though, I enjoyed much more later in the day, so it barely makes my #1 spot right now.

[Woodie Warrior]

the beast just kind of wandered around for about four minutes until it remembered it had to go back to the station.

 

Lol I have to agree with this. The ride was SO SO SO SO boring. So many trims, so many straightaways. Even the helix wasn't that spectacular, in my opinion.

[shangalaing]

Kumba, heard it was one of the best looping coasters in the world and ended up much prefferring kraken.

 

The Big One at Blackpool. My first hypercoaster, I just thought it was a badly designed ride.

 

Flug der Daemonen at Heide park. I love the Swarm at Thorpe park, with great set pieces, and a super smooth ride, I found Flug der Deamonen to slow down and speed up too much, the wings shook a lot more than the swarm and the layout wasn't nearly as interesting.

[thrillseeker4552]

I have NEVER got any airtime on any of the airtime hills

 

Really, no airtime at all? While I will agree that it is far from ejector airtime, you definitely lift up out of your seat on the hills. It's kind of impossible not to unless your stapled in your seat or you defy the laws of physics.

 

EDIT: This post is referring to Millennium Force.

[Cmbgo12]

Banshee... It's a great ride with an absolutely jaw-dropping capacity, but it just didn't do it for me. It was forceful, but after the first few inversions felt a bit slow and awkward (Especially the B-Roll, dear god that thing is taken painfully slow), and for a "terrain coaster" didn't really use its terrain to its advantage it really just felt like a pretty standard B&M invert.

 

For comparison Montu, my all-time favorite inverted coaster has incredible pacing and feels like the fastest coaster in the park. It uses terrain and interacts with its environment better than just about every coaster (Though BG parks seem to be really good with using terrain... :See Cheetah Hunt: )... Plus its capacity is actually better than Banshee's (1710 compared to Banshee at 1650), and its older so no lines EVER!

[Zingoman]

Ok, mine is going to probably instigate rioting in this forum but my biggest let down was easily Phoenix. Maybe I caught it on a bad day but all that airtime everyone raves about was not happening. It was a very mild ride in my experience. I'd take Cyclops over Phoenix any day. Ok. Crucify me.

[awclark]

Millenium Force - it was one of those situations where reading reviews beforehand totally overhyped the experience. Wind in my face was fun, but minor floater air and a bunch of over banked curves just didn't do it for me.

 

The Beast - My 1st ride I made the mistake of getting a wheel seat. Got off saying "wtf was that crap?!" Was then told to sit in a non-wheel seat and thought it was an overtrimmed snooze fest full of meandering curves and straightaways.

 

The Voyage - .... to the nearest pharmacy for a bottle of advil. Ouch.

 

Drachen Fire - At the time when I rode it at the tiny ago of 7 years old, I only knew the coaster from some old VHS tape on roller coasters that I watched to death and thought it was the coolest coaster EVER.... Until I rode it and remember getting my head whopped around so much and so hard that I came off crying to my parents about how the VHS tape lied LOL

[BlahBlahson]

The Beast again: It was rough enough at some point in the ride that I smashed my elbow on the side of the car and it actually cut open and started bleeding, which was a damn good reason to rank the ride dead last in my wooden rankings.

 

Kawasemi: I tend to enjoy really really big and really really fast coasters (My top ten is basically all hypers and launchers), and this ride is neither. It's pretty fun but I think something like the near-forceless Apollo's Chariot has cooler views, scenery and speed.

[KC_Engineer]

Yeah, I'm gonna be THAT guy...

 

I have never been disappointed by a roller coaster. Big or small, intense or tame, being on a roller coaster is better than doing just about anything else. I enjoy every minute of it.

[Coaster_Fanatic]

Alpengeist at BGW was a pretty big letdown. For an invert so huge it didn't provide as many forces as you'd think. The final part of the ride after the MCBR is really slow and boring also.

[DirkFunk]

The Beast is the classic example. Aside from that - Mindbender at Edmonton (every aspect is overrated. EVERY ASPECT) and probably Prowler at Worlds of Fun (boring, not much airtime, ending is an afterthought). I disagree far from the consensus on those rides.

[Duff]

Great topic.

 

Did anybody else notice how many top-notch coasters are being discussed here? We coaster junkies probably set the bar too high sometimes. I wonder how many low opinions of these world-class coasters would have been positive experiences with lower expectations or less hype.

 

My biggest let down was Scream! at SFMM. I was looking forward to riding Scream because it's essentially a clone of Medusa at SFGAd -- another coaster I had wanted to ride for years, but hadn't had the opportunity. I remember reading glowing online reviews of Medusa after it opened in '99 (in the good ol’ days of slow, dial-up modems and shitty, low-res photos). My expectations for that design/layout remained sky-high over a decade later. I was even willing to forgive Scream's parking lot setting because I thought the coaster itself would "wow" me! It didn't. It was my own fault for expecting too damned much.

[rcjp]

Great topic.

Did anybody else notice how many top-notch coasters are being discussed here? We coaster junkies probably set the bar too high sometimes. I wonder how many low opinions of these world-class coasters would have been positive experiences with lower expectations or less hype.

The thing is when you have a coaster considered great by most people, there will always be those who don't enjoy them that much. Naturally I go to ride these coasters with high expectations while the same doesn't happen with mediocre ones or even those considered bad (like mean streak which didn't "disappoint" me, given what I was expecting while MF and TTD did a bit, but they are still waaayyyyy better rides)

[coasterkid124]

After seeing some more comments, I'll post a few more that I found a letdown.

 

The Beast: My first thought when climbing up the lift slowly: "This is gonna be amazing"

 

My thought after the ride: "That was the legendary Beast???" The trims and straightaways killed the ride. If it was built originally more like the Voyage, it would be year after year the best wooden coaster.

 

Silver Comet: Only being 20 minutes away from Fantasy Island I heard a lot of good reviews when the coaster opened. Even the newspaper claimed that it was better than the original Comet. But, when I rode it in the back seat, the only moment of airtime was the first drop. The rest of the ride was built on turns. When I rode in the front, I received some good airtime. This coaster should only be ridden near the front if you want good airtime.

[Nrthwnd]

Probably not The Biggest Letdown Coaster I have ridden in these past several years,

but it was definitely one of The First Ones that disappointed me, and several others...

 

MAMMUT at Tripsdrill Park. I believe the hype for it, went beyond "family type

coaster" and alluded to being one for the "Real Thrillseeker..."

 

Meh. It was okay, no big things like air time, etc. And like a lot of coasters I have seen

through the years, sadly, some times they decide to open the coaster, with none of the

themeing and/or landscaping that is in the art concepts. And it stops there.

 

Fluch von Novgorod in Hansa Park, is a Big Exception to this, as they did make good

on getting everything finished, while the coaster was still open for the seasons.

As far as I have seen, Mammut hasn't added much to it's surroundings, since TPR's visit in 2008.

[ScreaminNewEngland]

Pleasant Surprises

 

Steel Force!

This ride was awesome! Tons of forces in the turn around, great airtime, speed and smooth as glass! I loved steel force.

 

Deamon Drop!

Another totally kick ass ride, the drop was freaking amazing!

 

Dorney Park: Everything about this park was amazing, the super fast dispatches, great assorment of rides (especially flats) and totally clean.

Plus talon was the best <3

 

Unpleasent:

big thunder mountain rail road.

[tarheel1231]

Pleasant: Mindbender at SFOG: I didn't really read about this before my visit, so this was fun for me.

Verbolten at BGW: I loved this ride! This was my first launch coaster, and I loved the drop track!

Griffon at BGW: The first drop gave me a feeling of weightlessness! The drop felt much longer than it actually was

Alpengeist at BGW: I'd been reading about how 'unforceful' Alpengeist was, and how it wasn't intense. And I'm going to say this: It was both forceful and intense (and this is coming from someone who's home park houses Afterburn).

[TheDark8]

Pleasant-

Blue Streak- Filled with airtime

Mindbender (SFOG)- Just an overall great ride with forceful loops

Banshee- My new favorite invert. Many say its rather forceless, but I thought the drop was amazing, it was butter smooth, it was plenty forceful and the color scheme is awesome, not to mention the unique barrel roll at the end. I loved Banshee

Afterburn- A rather average looking invert ended being one of the best. Perfectly paced, forceful, fast and fun.

Tennessee Tornado- Best Arrow looper of all time.

Hair Raiser (Ocean Park HK)- I had no idea what to expect, but I ended up loving this ride. The view is simply astonishing.

Phoenix- AWESOME AIRTIME

 

Unpleasant-

Magnum XL 200- Never have I ever been more disappointed by a ride. This ride was painful. Every time we would hit the top of an airtime hill it felt as though a bat was slamming into my legs. Ouch.

The Beast- Just very boring. No airtime whatsoever.

Skyrush- Thighcrush.

Raptor- Pretty rough for an invert, and not quite on the level as most others.

Alpengeist- Another B&M invert? Of course. The ride was rough for an invert just like Raptor. Pacing was off, and the experience just left me asking "Was that all?"

YOLOcoaster- Too short of a ride.

Kingda Ka- After riding Dragster I guess lap bars do make a difference. Also, Ka was MUCH more rattly.

Maverick- The OTSR ruined this for me. The ride itself is world class, but the restraints really downgrade the experience.

Edited August 1, 2014 by TheDark8

[MagnumFreak25]

Pleasant-

 

Magnum- Amazing airtime and surprisingly smooth.

 

Raptor- Amazingly intense and absolutely smooth throughout the whole ride.

 

Maverick- Insanely intense and force filled ride. Definitely one of the best in the world.

 

Unpleasent-

 

Nitro- Absolutely no airtime and no intensity anywhere.

 

Bizzaro (SFGAdv)- Rough, Force-less and I was stacked on the brake run for over 15 minutes!

 

Wildcat (HP)- Rough and a boring layout.

[TheDark8]

Pleasant-

 

Magnum- Amazing airtime and surprisingly smooth.

 

Raptor- Amazingly intense and absolutely smooth throughout the whole ride.

 

Maverick- Insanely intense and force filled ride. Definitely one of the best in the world.

 

Unpleasent-

 

Nitro- Absolutely no airtime and no intensity anywhere.

 

Bizzaro (SFGAdv)- Rough, Force-less and I was stacked on the brake run for over 15 minutes!

 

Wildcat (HP)- Rough and a boring layout.

 

So all of the positives are Cedar Point?

 

I was surprised from the pain Magnum induced. It was a flat-out painful ride and not that smooth as stated. I sat in four different rows but each ride the lap bar bruised me.

 

Maverick's OTSR downgraded the ride. Raptor is not smooth B&M and a lack luster invert.

I however loved Blue Streak, Dragster and Millennium much more than I expected I would.

 

I'm not criticizing your opinion, I just don't see how people enjoy Magnum when that lap bar is killing you the whole time.

[Cmbgo12]

Pleasant-

 

Racer - KI - It's not the greatest woodie ever, but its just pure un-trimmed fun! With all of the negitive reviews I was expecting something similar to The Beasts helix of death ( ), but it actually was smoother than many of the coasters in the park.

 

Big Dipper - Camden Park - This coaster looks like its about to fall apart (Literally), there's holes in the train, and the buzzbars have about 2 inches of give... But holy crap, the back seat on this coaster gave so much ejector air on the big dip that it actually felt like I was flying out. The rest of the layout is increadibly "meh" but the massive dose of ejector air totally made the ride worth it and I ended up riding it 4 more times!

 

Windseeker - KI - WHY DOES EVERYONE DISLIKE THESE!!! I found this to be one of the best flats in the park, after the Everly Monster.

 

Grizzly - KD - Fun, classic ride that doesn't get the attention it deserves... Best woodie in the state of Virginia

 

Unpleasant-

 

Invertigo - KI - OUCH! Sidewinder, often considered one of the worst boomerangs is better that this piece of junk... Disorienting and headache causing. Not fun in any way.

 

Adventure Express- KI - who designed this again? From the fast, terribly banked s-bend that gave me a bruise, to the incredibly crappy transitions this is the Goudurix of kiddie coasters... (Not even close to the Trailblazer-like ride I was expecting)

 

Skyrush - Hershey - Worst restraints ever... Can't even focus on the coaster because of the intense pain in my legs

 

Verbolten - BGW - I only dislike this ride because I was a huge fan of Big Bad Wolf... And the back row is surprisingly rough for a new steel coaster.

 

RIP in Peace Big Bad Wolf

[livinandrockin]

Nice thread.

 

Biggest letdown hands down was Farenheit. Was expecting some sort of awsome rip, ride, rockit-maverick hybrid and instead got a forceless, boring, 1hr+ queue snoozefest. (Although i did appreciate the norwegian roll and ultra smooth cobra roll.)

 

2nd place goes to expedition everest. (Although i did marathon it in the rain cuz there was nothing else to do at Animal Kingdom). I just couldnt believe $100 mil could produce such a 'meh' coaster. Prefer matterhorn by a long shot.

 

Biggest suprise was actually at the same park as the biggest letdown. Never before did i know what enthusiasts meant by 'ejector air' (especially living on the west coast). Skyrush blew my freakin mind, most intense coaster of my 250+ credits BY FAR (havent ridden I305 or NTAG yet). Christmas, I kind of WANTED OTSR's; it was so intense, i felt like I was danger of sliding out...anyone else feel that way?

[cfc]

My most recent pleasant/unpleasant surprises happened at Coney Island. Cyclone, with the exception of one section toward the end, was running very well. However, Thunderbolt was just plain bad--a nice layout ruined by rinky-dink trains that shook me half to death.

[CanobieFan]

PLEASANT

Superman at GADV: I heard this ride was pretty meh, but I enjoyed it a lot, esp. in the pretzel loop!

 

Yankee Cannonball at CLP: INTENSE ride with some pretty legendary ejector! In the back, the airtime is almost El Toro level! I thought I was gonna die!

 

Wildcat at Hershey: I hated this ride the first year I went there. This year it was rough, but so fun!! The roughness just gives you the OMFG-I'M-SCARED feeling! Rock on Wildcat!

 

UNPLEASANT

 

Corkscrew at CLP: Ouch!! This thing hurts like hell!! Get rid of it! Please!

[beenagins87]

Suprise: X Flight- I think wing riders in general get a bad rep, I liked Wild Eagle enough, but consdering that everyone seems to think it's the best of the 3 US. Wingriders, I was floored by how intense and memorable all my rides on X Flight were.

 

Dissapoiment: Thunderhead- I liked Thunderhead, but consdering it's a top 5 wooden coaster I was expecting a lot more exciment, the station fly through is probally the coolest part.