Best Family Coaster

[gerstlaueringvar]

Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Train. That ride is perfection!

[A.J.]

I know they're pretty intense, but are Mega Lites family-friendly only in terms of at the very least being able to be ridden by more than just adults? I know that Piraten has a 140 cm / 55 in height restriction, but what about Kawasemi and the Chinese ones?

 

I'm wondering if they're appropriate to act as an older child's / younger teenager's first "full-size coaster", if they were to design one without the first intense low-to-the-ground curve (basically, just being all about the hills). I don't really have a family myself so I thought I'd ask...

[Yubstep101]

Whizzer@SFGA is my pick.

[Nrthwnd]

Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Train. That ride is perfection!

 

Totally agree with this.

Great family coaster. TPR 2012 China Tour.

[VF15]

FireChaser Express at Dollywood for me. While not an intense ride, it has some decent forces for a ride that only has a 39 inch height requirement. I'll also give an honorable mention to the two Gerstlauer spinners I've ridden (Fairly Odd Coaster at NU and Spinning Dragons at WOF).

[Nrthwnd]

...Juvelen at Djurs Sommerland! Awesome ride, incredible speed and some nice g's. And albeit the intensity entire families ride it together and thoroughly enjoys it (probably due to it don't looking very intimidating)

 

I also agree with this choice. Watching it run doesn't really prepare you for that launch, hidden behind the station!

TPR 2014 Scandi Tour.

Wheee!

Edited November 13, 2016 by Nrthwnd

[storms555]

Would Cheetah Hunt at Busch Gardens Tampa be considered a family coaster? If so that would be my favorite. Second would be that mini wooden coaster at Kings Island even though i havent been there since 2004 when it was called The Beastie.

Oh and another i forgot mention! I think Lost Coaster at Indiana Beach was a lot of fun too.

Edited November 13, 2016 by storms555

[djackson]

SooperDooperLooper is a pretty good family coaster.

[storms555]

I know they're pretty intense, but are Mega Lites family-friendly only in terms of at the very least being able to be ridden by more than just adults? I know that Piraten has a 140 cm / 55 in height restriction, but what about Kawasemi and the Chinese ones?

 

I'm wondering if they're appropriate to act as an older child's / younger teenager's first "full-size coaster", if they were to design one without the first intense low-to-the-ground curve (basically, just being all about the hills). I don't really have a family myself so I thought I'd ask...

 

I never got that when people say "younger teens" as i thought by age 13 and 14 most would of already been on big coasters for at least 4 or 5 years....i cant picture a 14 year old saying "yay i finally get to go on a real coaster and not just Wacky Worm anymore!" Can you imagine starting middle school and telling your friends the only coasters you been on was wacky worms and those coasters like you see at some zoos....unless of course they been on coasters like Pinfaris and such.

[chickenbowl]

I'm not sure what exactly distinguishes a family coaster - GhostRider and Phoenix are family coasters to me...

 

Anyway, I wanted to point out my two favorite Mack family coasters! Manta and Space Fantasy!

 

I think Manta is much better than Verbolten and Firechaser, and sits right below Cheetah Hunt in terms of multi launch family coaster.

 

Space Fantasy is also one of my favorite non-Disney family coasters - Amazing effects!

[PKI Jizzman]

Vote goes to Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster in Australia

[A.J.]

I never got that when people say "younger teens" as i thought by age 13 and 14 most would of already been on big coasters for at least 4 or 5 years....i cant picture a 14 year old saying "yay i finally get to go on a real coaster and not just Wacky Worm anymore!" Can you imagine starting middle school and telling your friends the only coasters you been on was wacky worms and those coasters like you see at some zoos....unless of course they been on coasters like Pinfaris and such.

You're right, it honestly has everything to do with height restrictions. Apparently the "average" height of a 9-year old child is 52.5", 10-year old is 54.5" and 11-year old is 56.5"-56.7", That would mean that a 9-year old could ride most larger Intamins, a 10-year old most big B&Ms and an 11-year old everything else, including Mega Lites. So you're definitely correct in assuming that most (but not all, mind you) younger teenagers would have already been riding for several years.

 

That being said, not everyone is a daredevil - part of what makes a "family coaster" family-oriented is that it's not intimidating.

[Henry M]

Rage, Ben 10 ultimate coaster or Dragons Fury.

[CSLKennyNI]

Colorado Adventure in Phantasialand

[coasterbill]

Steel Force

[DarienLaker]

My vote on best family coasters

 

*Iron Dragon (Cedar Point)

*Jack Rabbit (Kennywood)

*Bobsleds (Seabreeze)

*Motocoaster (Darien Lake)

*Blue Streak (Cedar Point)

[I Like Theme Parks.]

Some of the smaller PTC or other old coasters like Comet at Hersheypark, Racer at Kennywood, etc. are the best kind of family rides in my opinion. I'm not sure if coasters around the same size like Phoenix count as "family coasters" because of the forces they pull, but they're still good for everyone. Other great family coasters are any of the Disney coasters, Turbulence at Adventureland, SooperDooperLooper and Verbolten.

[Anac0nda]

Lisebergbanan - Liseberg

Kvasten and Vilda Musen - Gröna Lund

Linnunrata - Linnanmäki

[bgtlover]

My top 5 of those ridden (so far):

• 1. Cheetah Hunt @ BGT (on the fence as this being a family coaster with the inversion. It was marketed as one so...)
  2. White Lightning @ Fun Spot America Orlando
  3. Cobra's Curse @ BGT
  4. Firechaser Express @ Dollywood
  5. Expedition Everest @ DAK