ajfelice Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 I hope parks don't think they should build more boring B&Ms instead of awesome 305's, that's my fear with these awards. I'm not losing any sleep over the thought parks will first consult the Golden Ticket Awards when making capital decisions. Parks buy what brings people to the park, what people ride, and what makes people return. They also buy something that is reliable and easy to maintain. B&M is pretty good at this right now. Companies such as RMC are up and coming, and I'm sure as they continue to master their great attractions and more people ride current ones, you will see more listed highly in the polls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArgoZ Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Oh come on, you should have given me the ballot if you didn't want to vote. I wouldn't have let you guys down. PS: Were you able to vote on that new safety award or did they basically just hand that out? I feel like M&D's Scotland was being highly under-represented in that category. To become a voter, you basically just have to hand in your résumé of park visiting experience. They are always looking for more international voters, if anyone is interested. I decided to join a few years ago, as I feel if more true enthusiasts voted, the results would modestly improve. I think the wood coasters are much improved and solid selections. Not including SkyRush honestly ticked me off. Hopefully I get included next year, but it's up to them. Awards like safety, publishers picks, Park of the Year (Cedar Point pity award) and etc are handed out how they see fit. I see it as a way to congratulate each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CP Maverick Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 I was actually very surprised that LR won given the amount of time it spent in "technical rehearsal" throughout the summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 To become a voter, you basically just have to hand in your résumé of park visiting experience. I'm concerned that this Tim Baldwin guy doesn't have enough of a sense of humor to give me a ballot (even though they had enough of a sense of humor to put Hades 360 above T Express). He seems to take these awards way too seriously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArgoZ Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 I hope parks don't think they should build more boring B&Ms instead of awesome 305's, that's my fear with these awards. I'm not losing any sleep over the thought parks will first consult the Golden Ticket Awards when making capital decisions. Parks buy what brings people to the park, what people ride, and what makes people return. They also buy something that is reliable and easy to maintain. B&M is pretty good at this right now. Companies such as RMC are up and coming, and I'm sure as they continue to master their great attractions and more people ride current ones, you will see more listed highly in the polls. I agree with everything you said, no park is going to simply consult the awards. However, this is a gathering of industry executives that highly influence and make these decisions. Many do not even ride coasters anymore. It's all about ROI and the reasons you listed. Everything you mentioned is why we will see more "B&M Intimidators" instead of "Intamin Intimidators", if you will. The Golden Tickets are one part of that equation and reflect it well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCI Wooden Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share Posted September 11, 2016 So, Switchback at ZDT's got #5 for "Best New Ride of 2016". Didn't it open last year? I remember it opened late in the season, but it still opened in 2015, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 I didn't watch the stream...how pissed off looking were the Cedar Point officials & fanboys when Europa took Best Park award? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumper Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 This prize is worth as much as a 3-dollar bill The marketing departments of the winning parks might think differently! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superbatboy Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 The GTA always make me chuckle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajfelice Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 I didn't watch the stream...how pissed off looking were the Cedar Point officials & fanboys when Europa took Best Park award? Millennium Force slipping to #2 was more heartbreaking for them. Possibly a couple dull boos in the back of the room. I tripped over a few jaws on my way out of the ceremony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 ^ Yeah, I was going to add that about MF...although they gave them "Park of the Year" which may have made them feel a little better. Don't get me wrong, I love CP as much as the next person, but it had to be a bit disheartening for them to host the event and then lose both Best Coaster and Best Amusement Park on their "home turf". Maybe once they RMC Mean Streak, this will throw them back into the #1 slot. Although I still think that the Golden Tickets are a joke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roflstomper Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Thanks for the explanation on Skyrushs' absence. Not that I take the polls too seriously but it seems quite the oversight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry M Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 (even though they had enough of a sense of humor to put Hades 360 above T Express). Yeah, some of them are slightly strange.I have been on Nemesis, and it is an absolutely insane coaster, but 11th? Maybe 20th. There seem to be some coasters like Maverick which get so many great reviews below Nemesis. have I really been on the second best ride in Europe? They are not really serious though, are they? Please tell me they are not... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterkid124 Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Like the ride or not, it is pretty much a joke that Skyrush didn't crack the top 50. If rides like I305 and Maverick can make the top 25 with their "re-ride ability and technical issues", Skyrush falls into that exact same class. For many people, the ride is their number one or at least in their top 5. I feel like the vast majority of voters for GTA are ACErs who just can't handle the more intense rides and love the themed family coasters to death. Of course I'm biased, because I do love the ride, but seeing this poll every year makes me miss the Mitch poll more and more. Congrats to Fury 325, it's good to see MF finally knocked off that top peg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 ^ Quoted from ArgoZ earlier... I contacted Tim Baldwin to inquire about the absence of SkyRush (my #1 steel coaster) in the drop down selection menu of best coasters. He informed me that it was mistakingly left off the list however, I could still write in the selection and what place I would put it in. Obviously, no one is going to take the time to do that, so I decided to withdraw from this years voting due to the inaccuracy of an already questionable poll. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFOGdude25 Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 From what I understand, the GTA's rank coasters factoring in things like comfort, reliability, and reridability, not necessarily intensity. It's a different audience for sure, but when you see that, it makes sense why B&M coasters rank so high with them. Frankly I don't care. Never have. We enthusiasts may never think of them as "accurate", but I've seen parks call the GTA's the oscars of the industry, so like them or not, they seem to be a big deal to parks, who get some free marketing from Amusement Today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterkid124 Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 ^ Quoted from ArgoZ earlier... I contacted Tim Baldwin to inquire about the absence of SkyRush (my #1 steel coaster) in the drop down selection menu of best coasters. He informed me that it was mistakingly left off the list however, I could still write in the selection and what place I would put it in. Obviously, no one is going to take the time to do that, so I decided to withdraw from this years voting due to the inaccuracy of an already questionable poll. Oops, must've grazed right over that post Anyways, they mistakenly miss one of the most intense rides on the planet, but remember to include rides like Whizzer and Euro-Mir? We miss you Mitch Hawker... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 The drop down menus to select coasters were a mess and not intuitive. I could not find Coaster (at Playland). I did get a return email where to find it. However, when I tried to save my ballot to complete later it got submitted instead of being saved for future use. I do think it is funny the after the awards are posted we see the same thing ever year. I'm not just talking about the winners, but the gripes. As Elissa said these awards are not accurate if you are a well traveled, seasoned enthusiast. You are asked to rate the Top Ten coasters, but many take this directive and name their ten favorite coasters. It is very apparent that A) many chose the coasters they ride most frequently over the best they have ever ridden or B) many don't travel and ride as much as they claim or C) many don't factor if a coaster has deteriorated over time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 From what I understand, the GTA's rank coasters factoring in things like comfort, reliability, and reridability, not necessarily intensity. It's a different audience for sure, but when you see that, it makes sense why B&M coasters rank so high with them. Frankly I don't care. Never have. We enthusiasts may never think of them as "accurate", but I've seen parks call the GTA's the oscars of the industry, so like them or not, they seem to be a big deal to parks, who get some free marketing from Amusement Today. Exactly. Parks want that award so that they can plaster it across their park and at ride entrances. I have seen the GP say more than once before entering a queue, "Ooohhhh, this one has won awards for being the best coaster in the world!" Or they may see that displayed on their website...and I am sure more than once, it has swayed a family to go to one park or another if they see, "Kid friendly", "Cleanest", Biggest", etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 It's no longer in rehearsal, and has been running reliable as of late. I believe it won best new ride because of the technology used (first on a wooden coaster) and well...it's a great ride to boot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 I am beyond myself at how Disney was not on the list for friendliest park. We were blown away by just about every employee we encountered during our 10 day stay at the resort. I also found it kind of amusing that tower of terror won at magic kingdom, and here they are replacing the ride at Disneyland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluestreak Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Sorry to be blunt but, downtime aside, maybe it won best new ride because it is the best new ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 I do think it is funny the after the awards are posted we see the same thing ever year. I'm not just talking about the winners, but the gripes. As Elissa said these awards are not accurate if you are a well traveled, seasoned enthusiast. For me personally, I wouldn't really call anything a gripe because I can't get enough of these awards in their current form. I think it's human nature to enjoy watching a good train wreck (as much as we all hate to admit it) and these awards always fit the bill. I look forward to them every year so I can see how awful they are and I would be legitimately disappointed if they ever started picking reasonable winners for the awards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mossed Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 And yet I feel like both Cedar Point and Dollywood would have rather had Valravn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidwestThemeParks Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 And yet I feel like both Cedar Point and Dollywood would have rather had Valravn. No, I think Dollywood would rather have the best new ride. I believe it won best new ride because of the technology used (first on a wooden coaster) and well...it's a great ride to boot. They probably thought the same things when they picked Outlaw Run as best new ride of 2013. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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