Overrated Parks

[coasterbill]

Honestly MOST carnival rides have more theming/lighting packages than Cedar Point rides.

 

In regards to theming I entirely disagree, and in regards to lighting packages this is to be expected. Carnival rides almost always have better lighting packages than theme park rides because the lighting packages serve as advertising for the carnival. I think Cedar Point has really upgraded their lighting lately, putting LED lights on the ferris wheel was a huge improvement, they upgraded the lights on Millennium, Raptor and Power Tower too while adding rides that look excellent at night like Windseeker, Valravn and Gatekeeper. Compared to most American corporate parks, Cedar Point looks outstanding at night.

[Nitro1118]

Knoebels. It's a very unique park, but I came away disappointed back in 2008. It felt like someone plopped a permanent carnival somewhere in the mountains. The classic flats are cool and Phoenix is amazing, but I guess I was expecting something more similar to Holiday World.

[mpmbee]

Knoebels and Kings Island.

[CedarFanboy]

Why on earth is Knoebels posted here...

 

The most overrated park I've been to is Carowinds. Yes, it was clean, yes, they had a few nice rides, but overall there is a lot of work to do and I'm glad to see Cedar Fair starting to do that work. Until then...

[coasterbill]

Why on earth is Knoebels posted here...

 

While everyone is different and I totally get that and respect all opinions, I legitimately feel bad for anyone that goes to Knoebels and doesn't have an amazing time there. Not every park has to be a corporate, concrete, soulless place with flat rides running mediocre (at best) programs.

[Josh Linn]

Knoebels. It's a very unique park, but I came away disappointed back in 2008. It felt like someone plopped a permanent carnival somewhere in the mountains. The classic flats are cool and Phoenix is amazing, but I guess I was expecting something more similar to Holiday World.

 

Sounds more like it just didn't live up to expectations rather than being overrated, which is a different thing.

[VF15]

Carowinds was a little underwhelming for me. Fury 325 is the best coaster on this planet and Afterburn is one of the better B&M inverts, but I didn't care much for the rest of their ride lineup (Intimidator is fun but definitely the weakest B&M I've ridden). The park's atmosphere also felt very generic with not much charm or soul to it. Don't get me wrong, it's a fun park for sure, but without Fury, I'm not sure if it would have been worth the trip.

[Themonerd]

Knoebels. It's a very unique park, but I came away disappointed back in 2008. It felt like someone plopped a permanent carnival somewhere in the mountains. The classic flats are cool and Phoenix is amazing, but I guess I was expecting something more similar to Holiday World.

 

Sounds more like it just didn't live up to expectations rather than being overrated, which is a different thing.

 

Those expectations set by just about everyone on this site. Thus making it overrated.

[keithandmelissa]

Cedar Point sucks!!!!!!

[Philrad71]

^This. That's how I feel about the "weaknesses" of Cedar Point. (Also, their bathrooms. They are DEFINITELY in desperate need of overhaul!)

 

However, I still feel like Cedar Point is the greatest amusement park I've been to, and I am coming from the perspective of somebody who has been a regular visitor since I was a four year old pushing my stroller around the park in 1983! Sure, I've been to tons of other parks since, and have ridden tons of other coasters, but I still feel like on the whole, Cedar Point is properly rated as the King of Amusement Parks - at least Stateside!

 

Having said that, I totally get what Geauga Dog is referring to, when he refers to the way the park was before 2000... It did just "feel" different than it does now while you were there. Yes, they have always been about "bigger" and "better", and have made regular capital investments every couple of years since I was born. But with MF to a lesser extent, but then TTD to a MAJOR extent, the feel of the park simply changed.

 

Before, you could enjoy the intense, thrill-heavy front of the park, with that carnival of delights atmosphere, but then escape to the back of the park for a more relaxing and leisurely jaunt through trees, theming, and personality. They still have Frontier Trail, but MF does tower over and through it, screams filling the air the whole way. They also still have Frontier Town, but replacing a relaxing log flume with the intensity-laden Maverick, has definitely changed the atmosphere back there as well. I'm not complaining about either of these coaster additions, as they are 2-3 in my overall coaster rankings, but just pointing out they they HAVE indeed altered the experience in both of those areas.

 

The biggest change though, was in 2003, when TTD came, and transformed what was once one of my favorite places to walk through a quiet and serene part of the park (especially at park's closing, on my way out), into its most loud, crowded, and and "busy" part. Seriously, if you did not have the pleasure of visiting CP prior to 2003, you have no idea what you missed in terms of the atmosphere of the park between Magnum's queue entrance, and the Power Tower area (which really had altered the ambiance already in 1998). There was a stream that run along back there (which you can still find parts of if you look really hard), and its trickling added to the peaceful and relaxing walk back towards the din of the front of the park. Iron Dragon was affected as well, as its course was much more "in the trees" back before TTD as well, and my enjoyment of it definitely lessened with that back part opened up more to the midway where TTD is.

 

Make no mistake: MF, TTD, and Maverick are huge and important coasters for Cedar Point, and the entire industry as a whole! But also make no mistake - and this is what Geauga Dog was reffering to - their additions forever altered the landscape (quite literally!) and feel of a day at Cedar Point, and turned it into the strictly steel and concrete jungle feel that is has currently. I DO miss a lot of what was lost over the years as The Point got bigger and bigger, but I also love what it's become, and cherish it as much as I did as a kid, when a day at Cedar Point was literally a high point of my life every time I went! It's not quite like that anymore, but I still get excited going over the causeway every time, and have the added joy of now going there with my kids as they come of age to enjoy it all, and watch their delight as they experience things for the first time!

 

As for what park I consider the most overrated... That's a toughie... Overrated by whom? Coaster Enthusiasts? Or General Public? Regarding the former, I can't think of anyplace, but then I haven't been to Knoebels yet. I do hope that I am not met with anticipointment when I finally make my way out there (hopefully later this year at PPP), after hearing enthusiasts rave about it for years. Holiday World did not let me down, nor did Kennywood (and I actually liked Indiana Beach a lot when I went there), so hopefully Knoebels follows suit. It'll be tough though, considering how built up it's been... Regarding the GP, probably a Six Flags park, like SFMM or SFGAm, which is nice, but not absolutely amazing. Disney is an easy choice, considering how overrated I find most things surrounding Disney, but I'll pass on that, since I still think everybody should try and do the Disney Parks at least once, both as a kid, and with their kids. So those places all have a purpose, and they are "magical", in that intangible way that theme parks like them are.

 

If I had to pick one park that people say they enjoyed, and I just shrug and wonder if I simply had a "bad day", it would be Carowinds. Fury is the greatest coaster in the world, but on the whole, the park felt disappointing to me. I'll definitely go again sometime, but for now, it's just in the "meh" category for me...

 

I agree with your post as I have been going to CP since the 80's.

 

Although while I liked the Frontier Trail and the area over by Gemini back in the day, I always thought that they were missing a good thrill ride over there once they slowed Mean Streak down to a crawl (and before Maverick & Skyhawk obviously).

 

I would also agree with your comment about Carowinds. While it was a nice park, (please note that we visited before Fury) we did about three total hours in the dry side and two hours in the (then-dated) water park and we were ready to call it a day. Maybe it was the heat, but it was hard making it around the park on the day we went to the point where it felt more like a chore just to get on the coasters we wanted.

 

Kings Island for me is also overrated. I know a lot of people here disagree, but even with Banshee, I don't see this as a fully rounded park. Beast at night in the front seat is well worth a visit alone and Bat and Diamondback are both always fun. But after that, it's a bunch of mostly clone rides leftover from the Paramount days like Firehawk, Backlot, FoF and Invertigo in addition to some of the clone CF rides like Windseeker, Drop Tower and Delirium.

 

Canada's Wonderland is another overrated park to me. Once you get past Behemoth, Levi and Wonder Mountain, it's also mostly a clone of a lot of the same rides and crappy coasters that are predominant at a lot of other CF and SF parks that we have visited. Yes, they do have some unique flats like the new Skyhawk or Sledge Hammer, but flats aren't what makes me want to visit a theme park.

 

If Darien Lake put in one more solid coaster (like a mega-lite), I am not even sure if I would go back to CW as they would easily beat out their coaster collection alongside Ride Of Steel. I would gladly drive only two hours to DL versus three and not have to drive in the ungodly traffic in Toronto or through the sometimes horrendous lines at the Peace Bridge getting back into the States. While I love me some Canada, theme parks are usually not the main reason for us to visit. I have been to La Ronde once (God help me) and CW three times in the past 30+ years that it's been open. And Marineland, you might as well put this park out of it's misery and be done with it.

 

Oh, and let's not forget that DL is also beer friendlier than your average theme park, so that's also a win in my book!

 

But in the end, for the area we live in, Cedar Point still keeps winning out year after year in terms of repeat visits. Although Hershey and Knoebels are up there in the mix too.

 

Edit: I will also throw out there that I am very glad that so many of us have differing tastes and opinions of how they feel about overrated, underrated, favorite or most despised parks. If everyone loved the same one, it would always be at capacity...which wouldn't be fun (without FastLane, Q-Bot or Flashpass)!

Edited August 10, 2016 by Philrad71

[MillenniumFangirl]

Knoebels and Kings Island.

 

I kind of get Knoebels but not Kings Island. In fact, Kings Island was better than I thought it was going to be. Great atmosphere, pretty good theming (for a Cedar Fair park, anyway), and generally good rides.

 

Anyway, I have to say that Holiday World is overrated.

[Myntiepwny]

Any park you've been to far too often (without falling in love with it) becomes overrated. I love Coney Island and Knoebel's, so minus crazy crowds you aren't going to see me naming those, but I grew up with Cedar Point and missing the "old days" combined with too many visits in my early 20s means that I no longer want to wait in 2 hour lines and would often much rather be somewhere else (though I still love Pink's and the cheese fries).

[BDFS]

Holiday World.

 

Hands down.

 

Absolutely loved Thunderbird, and .... that was it.

[Josh Linn]

Knoebels. It's a very unique park, but I came away disappointed back in 2008. It felt like someone plopped a permanent carnival somewhere in the mountains. The classic flats are cool and Phoenix is amazing, but I guess I was expecting something more similar to Holiday World.

 

Sounds more like it just didn't live up to expectations rather than being overrated, which is a different thing.

 

Those expectations set by just about everyone on this site. Thus making it overrated.

 

I don't post here that frequently, but I don't recall anyone ever comparing it to Holiday World. Of course it's going fall short of expectations if that's the benchmark.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather be 15 minutes from a bigger park like Hershey than be 15 minutes from Knoebel's, but it's not overrated.

[I Like Theme Parks.]

Knoebels may not be for fans of modern corporate parks, so I can see how those people wouldn't be impressed.

[coasterbill]

Everyone knows Knoebels is my favorite park anywhere ever period, but you really have to have the right mindset to understand what Knoebels is and what makes it great. If you go to Knoebels to ride the coasters and leave, you're doing it horribly wrong. Don't get me wrong, Flying Turns and Impulse are fun, Twister is absolutely spectacular and Phoenix is one of the best coasters on earth, but despite that I feel like the coasters are secondary in that park.

 

At a corporate park I rarely ride flat rides, but at Knoebels I ride them all. They all run long, super-intense programs. We love the coasters but things like Downdraft , Paratrooper, the great old Mini Golf course with the hole that launches the ball through a tube up a hill, the Looper, the world's best Bumper Cars and Flyers, StratosFEAR, Flume, Black Diamond, the Mansion, Skyway, the Carousel with the brass rings, Kozmotron and Fandango are just as important to the Knoebels experience.

 

When you go to enough corporate parks it's so refreshing to go to Knoebels. Every ride runs the best cycle it can run, every coaster is perfectly maintained, all ride crews are ridiculously efficient and they have rides you can't find anywhere else or rides that seem like the same rides you can find at other parks but they run much better programs.

 

And then there's the food, the carousel organs throughout the park, the old school fun atmosphere, the great free museums. The park is an absolute gem. I guess it's not for everyone but if you go into it and dedicate time to ride the flat rides, take in the atmosphere, eat the food, ride the old dark rides and check out the museums it's really one of a kind. There's nothing out there like Knoebels and I'll take it over any corporate park.

[djcoastermark]

^ Hey you forgot the crazy Wipeout. The best of the Wipeouts/trabants I've ever experienced. We spent the whole day there yet didn't get to see and do everything. Ran out of time. Can't wait to go back.

[DirkFunk]

Everyone knows Knoebels is my favorite park anywhere ever period, but you really have to have the right mindset to understand what Knoebels is and what makes it great. If you go to Knoebels to ride the coasters and leave, you're doing it horribly wrong. Don't get me wrong, Flying Turns and Impulse are fun, Twister is absolutely spectacular and Phoenix is one of the best coasters on earth, but despite that I feel like the coasters are secondary in that park.

 

There are people who I've met who don't care about the traditional park vibe. They want big parks with big coasters and lots of 'em. Those people also, in my experience, cycle out of actually participating in the hobby (though they may still comment on message boards, oddly) after they come to the incredible conclusion that most big regional parks have roughly the same rides regardless of where you go in the US. Some transition into Orlando park fandom and happily hand over $300 a night for a motel room because pixie dust, while others move onto Facebook political activism or some nonsense like that.

[CanobieFan]

Cedar Point. I'm sorry.

 

I loved Cedar Point, but I got way too excited about Millennium Force and some of their B&M's only to be really let down.

 

Everyone hypes this park, and while I agree it's unreal, it really isn't the best park in the world.

 

Then again, I love old classic parks, so take it with a grain of salt.

[grsupercity]

Put me in the Holiday World boat. It was not a bad park in any stretch of the imagination (though badly lacking in flats) It was just so over hyped that I was completely let down. We hit KK the day before so that might have done it.

[SFOG1991]

Carowinds

 

Ever since Fury, people obsess over this place as Cedar Point South when in fact they have the worst line up of any 10+ coaster park in the United States and the park itself, while nice, really hasn't changed that much. All they did was add one very good stand out coaster and destroy their classic wooden coaster (which was still in the top 4 of the park in my opinion) and destroy their quaint entrance with a bland treeless expanse (the one saving grace being the interaction with Fury).

 

Don't get me wrong, Carowinds is a nice park and I have enjoyed every visit, but it certainly isn't Cedar Point South at the moment and it certainly isn't a two day park. You are better off spending one day there and one day at SFOG who has a significantly better line up overall or Dollywood which provides a far superior experience with a smaller but high quality coaster line up.

 

I still do love Carowinds ...it's just overrated.

[DILinator]

^

 

My thoughts exactly!

[I305forever]

Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Don't get me wrong, I had fun there, but it wasn't as great as everyone says it is. Maybe Invader (I am not spelling it without and e) will fill the hole in their lineup I feel they have.

[Cyrbuzz]

Cedar Point gets my vote. Rides are great but not 3+ hour wait in line great. The last time I was there Magnum was still top dog of the park and even then the waits were unbelievable. I've been there 4 times before moving to Florida and man was my day wasted on just line waiting. I love my parks here and the rides are top notch. The best part is I can get on them more than once in a days visit. Took a two day trip at Cedar Point and still didn't get to enjoy half the place. I couldn't imagine what the waits are now with all they added since my last visit.

[MillenniumFangirl]

^Ride times nowadays are only 3+ hours on weekends (with some exceptions). During the average weekday they usually aren't more than an hour for each ride and waits for GateKeeper and Raptor are almost nonexistent later in the day. However, I see what you're saying--waiting for Maverick in 90 degree weather is never fun (although the ride itself is fantastic).