Golden Ticket Awards 2016

[ytterbiumanalyst]

^^I understand that as a New Yorker you have an obligation to be a pizza snob (as am I) and I would never dream of eating any other pizza in the state of Pennsylvania but Cesari's knows what's up. Especially for people that love oregano as much as I do.

I absolutely adore New York pizza. I live much, much closer to Chicago than New York, but Chicago pizza sucks. If you need a knife and fork, it's a casserole. Granted, I haven't been to New York, but we do have a pizza place where I live owned by a transplanted New Yorker. I have some friends who moved here from NY and NJ and they say it's authentic. I hope so, because that sh*t is awesome.

[boldikus]

and I would never dream of eating any other pizza in the state of Pennsylvania but

 

you still haven't visited me in Philly. .

 

Mmmmm... Lorenzo's.... ::drool::

 

Ewww I hate Lorenzos. I only eat it drunk after a TLA show LMAO. All about City Pizza @ 16th & Oregon, Rustica in Nolibs and Franco & Luigis at 13th & Tasker. YUM.

[robbalvey]

I'm not going to say much about this because the Golden Ticket awards are complete and total crap. But I do have to say this...

 

Best Food

1.) Knoebels Amusement Resort

2.) Dollywood

3.) Epcot

4.) Silver Dollar City

5.) Europa-Park

 

I'm sorry. While I *LOVE* the food at Knoebels and Dollywood. Seriously, some of the best park food I've had. How can you put Epcot at #3? When you have very highly rated restaurants like Le Cellier, Monsieur Paul, Via Napoli, Teppan Edo, Coral Reef, etc, in a park, how do you give that award to Knoebels or Dollywood?

 

Do they just assume that it's not a fair competition? If that's the case, then there should be a separate "Best food" and "Best Restaurants" category. But if you're going to lump "food" into one general category, then you HAVE to give it to Epcot. There is just no question at all about this, and any other winner is completely bogus.

 

And again, I *LOVE* Knoebels and Dollywood food. But don't make me choose between Knoebels and Via Napoli, because you're right, it's probably not a fair competition, but then again that also is just another example of how horribly flawed and a complete joke the Golden Ticket awards really are.

Edited September 13, 2016 by robbalvey

[defrocker]

What are prices like at these restaurants at Epcot? I've never been, but I'm just curious if that would possibly scare some people away from buying their food. I just can't pronounce half of the names, and generally if I can't pronounce it, I can't afford it.

[robbalvey]

What are prices like at these restaurants at Epcot? I've never been, but I'm just curious if that would possibly scare some people away from buying their food. I just can't pronounce half of the names, and generally if I can't pronounce it, I can't afford it.

Oh, they are absolutely high-end restaurants. Every one I mentioned is probably $40 - $60 per person. But that shouldn't matter because the category is "best food" not "best food under a certain price."

 

You're not going to find a food item at many other parks better than Le Cellier's steak. You're just not. And yes, that Filet Mignon is going to cost you $52 for the entree alone, but that should fall under the "best food" category just like "cheese on a stick" should because there is no separation in food categories.

 

Again, this is not me dissing the food options at parks like Knoebels and Dollywood, this is me just pointing out how incredibly f**king stupid the Golden Ticket awards are. But I don't need to point this out, because any half-way intelligent person can see the Golden Tickets are mostly "paid advertisement" and not based or grounded in reality in any way at all.

 

And let's be honest, Amusement Today need as many bones thrown at them from companies as possible because print media is dead and their social media at 3,400 followers on Facebook and 3,900 followers on Twitter isn't impressing anyone and certainly won't be driving any advertising revenue their way anytime soon.

 

There I said it. Someone needed to.

[JordyC]

When I look at the top 50, there is one question that comes to my mind:

Where the hell is Shambhala, Kärnan or Goliath (Walibi Holland)??

Edited September 13, 2016 by JordyC

[defrocker]

I don't disagree at all, just wondering if maybe some people don't spend the money due to price so they aren't garnering as many votes even though they are likely amazing restaurants. Same rationale can be applied to the fact that there isn't that much representation on the lists outside of the US. The awards are what they are, and here that's certainly been a conversation starter!

 

The down side to all this is that now I want a steak for dinner. lol

[robbalvey]

just wondering if maybe some people don't spend the money due to price so they aren't garnering as many votes even though they are likely amazing restaurants.

 

What part of what I already explained didn't register in your brain?

 

but then again that also is just another example of how horribly flawed and a complete joke the Golden Ticket awards really are.

this is me just pointing out how incredibly f**king stupid the Golden Ticket awards are. But I don't need to point this out, because any half-way intelligent person can see the Golden Tickets are mostly "paid advertisement" and not based or grounded in reality in any way at all.

[BlahBlahson]

It pains me to see that this thread keeps floating to the top of the message board the last few days. Seriously folks, just ignore them. They were dumb and biased in 1998 and they have never changed. Stop reading them.

Edited September 13, 2016 by BlahBlahson

[robbalvey]

It pains me to see that this thread keeps floating to the top of the message board the last few days. Seriously folks, just ignore them. They were dumb and biased in 1998 and they have never changed. Stop reading them.

Solid advice.

[Taron]

Yeah.. the GTAs have always been pretty amusing and US centric (Europe says "Hi!"). I always enjoy how their lists counter themselves

 

Just look at this:

Best New Attraction for 2016 (Amusement Park)

1.) Lightning Rod at Dollywood

2.) Storm Chaser at Kentucky Kingdom

3.) Mako at Seaworld Orlando

4.) Valravn at Cedar Point

5.) Switchback at ZDT's

 

I personally can't judge the rides on that list since I have not ridden any of them this year. But its funny that places 3-5 don't even make the Top 50 in their categories while other new entries like Taron (32 Steel) and Wildfire (28 Wood) are obviously ranked above them.

 

I'm not expecting statistical wonders here, but get your own lists straight GTAs.

[robbalvey]

I'm not expecting statistical wonders here, but get your own lists straight GTAs.

You're asking a LOT!

[larrygator]

Just because Cesari's is better than most amusement park pizza, doesn't make it good. The sauce has no flavor and the crust is too thick and usually undercooked. I've tried it on five occasions only because I had a food voucher the 4 most previous times, and never finished my slices. If you want good amusement park pizza in Pennsylvania head to DelGrosso's

[TheCoasterKid211]

Just because Cesari's is better than most amusement park pizza, doesn't make it good. The sauce has no flavor and the crust is too thick and usually undercooked. I've tried it on five occasions only because I had a food voucher the 4 most previous times, and never finished my slices. If you want good amusement park pizza in Pennsylvania head to DelGrosso's.

[robbalvey]

Just because Cesari's is better than most amusement park pizza, doesn't make it good. The sauce has no flavor and the crust is too thick and usually undercooked. I've tried it on five occasions only because I had a food voucher the 4 most previous times, and never finished my slices. If you want good amusement park pizza in Pennsylvania head to DelGrosso's

I have to be honest, I genuinely enjoy Cesari's pizza and I would consider myself a "pizza snob." I may not be as critical as someone who literally lives in the same city as some of the best pizzerias in the world, but as far as pizza in general goes, and especially theme park pizza, it's way up there for me.

[DILinator]

Regarding the whole EPCOT food debate, I wonder if one of the reasons it places so low, is that these are awards voted on by enthusiasts, and given that there aren't any really exciting coasters, or rides at EPCOT, maybe not a lot of enthusiasts go there? That could explain potentially why it's so low (again, within the construct of the awards themselves, not delving into their validity or relevancy.)

 

As far as me personally, I'm not the biggest fan of EPCOT, as I found it rather dull last time I was there (admittedly, many years ago). However, one thing I do LOVE about EPCOT, is the World Showcase, and particularly the restaurants there! Best Italian food I've ever had was there (and that's my favorite kind of food!)

[coasterbill]

Just because Cesari's is better than most amusement park pizza, doesn't make it good. The sauce has no flavor and the crust is too thick and usually undercooked. I've tried it on five occasions only because I had a food voucher the 4 most previous times, and never finished my slices. If you want good amusement park pizza in Pennsylvania head to DelGrosso's

 

I disagree also. It's relatively doughy which is my #1 complaint about pizza outside of the NY area but it's not too thick, it still cracks along the bottom when you pick it up which is the true test of whether or not you're eating a pizza that's worth eating, lol. I think I'm just a sucker for oregano which it's loaded with but I actually like the sauce and the pizza. It's not my favorite thing at Knoebels (Those Pierogies...) but I really like it. If I could call up and order Cesari's delivery I would even though we're in the NY area and have some pretty good options to choose from.

 

It's not like it's Lombardi's but it's still really, really good.

[cfc]

I like Cesari's pizza, but for my money it's all about hot pepper cheese on a stick.

 

I think they need two different categories for food: 1) park food (Knoebels would deserve this one) and 2) sit-down dining (where Epcot would rule).

[xstech25]

The Golden Tickets always have been a joke run by a select group of ACErs. I've been on Boulder Dash and Fury and while Boulder Dash is probably in my top 10 wood (though definitely not number 1), Fury isn't even in the top 10 steel. Holiday World wins cleanest park every year I don't understand how that is, it's cleanliness is not any different than any other park. I've been to pretty much all the Christmas events from all the parks in the country and while Dollywood's is nice it's not as good as Herschend's other major park Silver Dollar City's. Also Cedar Point finally didn't win Best Park, but then wins a "publishers pick" for best park anyway

[RCjunkie]

Best New Attraction for 2016 (Amusement Park)

1.) Lightning Rod at Dollywood

2.) Storm Chaser at Kentucky Kingdom

3.) Mako at Seaworld Orlando

4.) Valravn at Cedar Point

5.) Switchback at ZDT's

 

Personally, I would pick Monster over Valravn.

[coasterbill]

Fury isn't even in the top 10 steel.

 

I'm not one to defend the Golden Ticket Awards but I have no issue with this pick. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile and while there are a few other people who would agree with you, there are a ton of people including well traveled enthusiasts that think Fury is amazing. I'm inclined to agree with them, not everyone will... but it's not a crazy pick considering the amount of praise the ride gets.

[JT325]

Personally, I would pick Monster over Valravn.

 

Yes!!! The list is fun to look at, but seems imbalanced by the number of folks who only ride the "big" rides or visit the "big" parks. I like Millennium Force, it's a fun ride, but I would pick Magnum, Mind Bender (SFOG), Phantom's Revenge, etc. way over it. Come to think of it, I don't even think MF would be in my top 10 steel list if I had one. Still a fun ride, but I could never understand the awards. Is it all psychological, with all the hype and records it has had?

[CoastersOnly]

A few personal things that I don't really get:

 

1) There is no way that Tatsu isn't deserving of being a top 50 coaster. It's the best of its breed, thrilling and exceedingly creative with a good environment as well since there's a lot of trees around and the like. I personally think Magic Mountain just gets dissed a lot in the community and it basically causes their coasters to all be sorely underrated. Probably doesn't help parks in Californial, either, that 2/3 of the country is closer to the non-western states and thus probably don't get out here as often.

 

X2, for example, is one of the most thrilling coasters on the planet and the only one of its type in North America. Probably should regularly be near the Top Ten.

 

On the other hand, it's been a pleasant surprise to see Twisted Colossus move up the ranks real quickly. It really is a wonderful experience that only gets better with each ride and its one flaw is that the boarding can often be woeful (they miss the mark often) and thus eliminates the dueling aspect entirely. Had one afternoon where we rode it three times in a row and only on the very last hill climb (the sixth) were we finally able to face off with another car.

 

Riddler's Revenge is the best of its kind. If you don't like stand-up coasters, that's fine, but I don't get why a well designed ride like that gets so criminally ignored and it probably doesn't help that people see it as like the eighth best ride in a park that's absolutely crowded with coasters.

 

And then there's Apocalypse which is, without a doubt, the most underrated wooden coaster in the entire world. It's all killer, no filler and never ceases to be a fun attraction. It not making the Top 50 is the biggest omission by far on this year's ranking.

 

 

 

 

2) Tower of Terror is the best dark ride? WTF? It's honestly an awesome experience and through mere coincidence I actually ended up working in that damn park years back (and yes, it's still their best ride). But it's not as good as, say, Spider-Man over at Universal which routinely won this category years back. Like why would some old attraction like Tower of Terror suddenly jolt up the list against improved competition?

 

 

3) The Water ride listing always makes my mouth salivate a bit thinking about Islands of Adventure. You can hop on Dudley Do Right, Popeye and Jurassic Park all in a row and it's sheer enjoyment overload for anyone into those sort of rides.

[coasterbill]

Again, I don't mean to defend these horrific awards and I agree with you completely on Tatsu, Tatsu is spectacular but...

 

X2, for example, is one of the most thrilling coaster on the planet and the only one of its type in North America. Probably should regularly be near the Top Ten.

 

The problem here is that it's a love it or hate it ride. So if you have 10 people that think it's the greatest thing ever and 10 people that think it's a complete dumpster fire death trap sh*t show that's quite possibly the worst coaster in North America with the exception of the Zacspin on the other side of the same damn park (raises hand) it won't rank as a high as a ride like Fury that's universally liked by everyone. I think it's ranking makes sense (well... I don't because I don't think it belongs in the top thousand let alone top 50, but I'm not suprised by it since I understand that some people love the thing).

 

Riddler's Revenge is the best of its kind. If you don't like stand-up coasters, that's fine, but I don't get why a well designed ride like that gets so criminally ignored and it probably doesn't help that people see it as like the eighth best ride in a park that's absolutely crowded with coasters.

 

First of all, Riddler's Revenge is a terrible coaster. Second of all, even if you did think that this was the 8th best coaster in the park, are you really complaining that a coaster that should be ranked #8 in it's own park didn't make the top 50 steel coasters worldwide?

 

As an aside, on a personal note (and I know I hate it more than most people) I would say it's the 17th best coaster in the park. Obviously I'm not dorky enough to rank all 19 coasters at Magic Mountain but I would say that's the worst coaster at the park that sucks within reasonable parameters. X2 and Green Lantern are on a totally different level of grade A, all time, unimaginable, historic sucktitude and it's a shame because since those 2 coasters are so god damn horrendous that Ridder's Revenge doesn't get the credit it deserves for being so f**king bad because it's sh*ttiness is being overshadowed.

[larrygator]

Regarding the whole EPCOT food debate, I wonder if one of the reasons it places so low, is that these are awards voted on by enthusiasts, and given that there aren't any really exciting coasters, or rides at EPCOT, maybe not a lot of enthusiasts go there? That could explain potentially why it's so low (again, within the construct of the awards themselves, not delving into their validity or relevancy.)

 

As far as me personally, I'm not the biggest fan of EPCOT, as I found it rather dull last time I was there (admittedly, many years ago). However, one thing I do LOVE about EPCOT, is the World Showcase, and particularly the restaurants there! Best Italian food I've ever had was there (and that's my favorite kind of food!)

 

I think you are on the right track, ride/coaster enthusiasts don't go to Epcot in droves but pretty much every major enthusiast has been there once. I make fun of EPCOT, referring to it as a shopping mall although I also enjoy certain aspects of it, especially the food. Personally, I just think a lot of enthusiasts who are willing to complete the GTA survey are most concerned about maximizing ride time, and sitting at a great restaurant at EPCOT is counter to this strategy. Also, many enthusiasts try to stretch their travel budget, they tend to look at airfare and park admission as the cost of entry into this hobby, but sometimes try to skimp on lodging and food. This is clear just reading the threads here.