Rank Your Home Park's Coasters

[CoasterRench]

Moving 5 minutes away from Kings Island was one of the best decisions I have ever made, love having it as my home park.

 

14. Great Pumpkin Coaster

13. Woodstock Express

12. Flying Ace Aerial Coaster

11. Adventure Express

10. The Bat

09. Racer

08. Back Lot Stunt Coaster

07. Vortex

06. Invertigo

05. Flight of Fear

04. Firehawk

03. The Beast

02. Diamondback

01. Banshee

 

I'm guessing that once Mystic Timbers opens, it will take over 4th in place of Firehawk.

[Morgan]

My home park would be Alton Towers, which has a great selection of coasters. The majority of them were ‘Secret Weapons’, which the park codenames their big coasters, and all these except Nemesis have been a ‘World’s First’ in some shape or form.

 

My ranking from worst to best is...

 

9 – Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure

 

This is the parks kiddie coaster, and while it would obviously be at the bottom of any coaster enthusiasts list, this really does deserve it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great looking coaster, but it is ridiculously short, and the throughput is shocking. It’s situated in CBeebies Land (Based on one of the UK’s children’s TV channels, run by the BBC), which is extremely popular with young families, so it gets very busy. For some reason they decided to install a one sided station, which means that they have to empty the train and clear the station, before they can start to let the next set of riders onto the station, so it is a very slow process. Also after all this the coaster is a very small figure-8 layout, which is over in seconds. For a park the size of Alton Towers, and the section of the park the coaster is in, they really should’ve gone for something like Shamu Express at SeaWorld, which has a decent size layout and a huge capacity train.

 

8 – Runaway Mine Train

 

As Mack powered runaway trains go this is a half decent one, it’s got a good setting and a unique layout, which interacts with the rapids adding extra excitement and thrill, especially when you get people waving at each other between the train and the boats in the tunnel. Unfortunately the Alton Towers health & safety nuts have added high fences around part of the ride, which completely blocks out the view for passersby, so some of the atmosphere has been lost.

 

7 – Spinball Whizzer

 

This spinner is a good fun ride, there’s nothing particularly amazing about it, but if you get a good weighting in the car, you can spin a lot. The downside of the ride is the queues, as it’s the first ‘major’ish ride that people come to in the park, it generally builds up a decent queue at the beginning of the day, and it stays that way throughout. So generally I don’t ride it that much, when it used to be featured in ERT, it would be a good starting ride for the day.

 

6 – Rita

 

Out of the major coasters at Alton Towers this is the least special, while it was the UK’s first hydraulic launch coaster, it’s layout is a little bit uninspiring, and feels like a bit of a ‘thoughtless’ addition, especially considering that a racing themed coaster was added to a then prehistoric/dinosaur themed area. While I enjoy the ride, and the launch is good, it is another ride that suffers from large queues, so again I don’t ride it that much.

 

5 – Air/Galactica

 

I can’t comment on its current form as Galactica as I’ve not been on it since the retheme, but Air while a unique ride in the UK, the more sedate theme of the coaster does leave it a bit lacking in thrills, especially when compared to the likes of Manta. My biggest gripe about the ride though is the reliability. Being the prototype for the B&M Flyer has really made it suffer, and has had persistent breakdowns all its life. I can’t remember the number of times I’ve queued only for it to breakdown just as I get to the station. The VR may have added something new to it, but from what I’ve heard it’s more a novelty to try once, but not something to experience over and over again.

 

4 – The Smiler

 

Part of me wants to put The Smiler further down my ranking, while it’s an impressive coaster and can be a great ride, for a coaster that’s only run for just over two seasons it is not ageing well. It is far too rough for such a young coaster, which is inexcusable when you get coasters that give smooth rides for a very long time. It’s the same on SAW at Thorpe Park, that ride has gotten progressively rough each season, so I thought this might happen with The Smiler. You need to know how to ride The Smiler, not just because of the roughness, but because there are kinks in the track in places, most notably the dive out of the cobra roll near the end of the ride, it is so noticeable you can watch riders head jerk one way and then back the other way in quick succession. If you have to learn how to ride a coaster for it not to be too painful, then there is a failing with the ride. Having said this, there is no denying that it is a fun ride with the amount and variety of inversions, and great themeing, had this ride been built by Mack or Intamin, I could see it being far better.

 

3 – Oblivion

 

Oblivion was probably the first coaster I followed the construction of (I remember seeing the big pit excavated for Nemesis, but that was as much of that construction that I saw), so I have some fond memories of the hype surrounding the ride, especially the themed construction fence with the ‘Security’ actors roaming the area. The ride itself is very simple, it was the World’s First Vertical Drop Rollercoaster, and it played to that with full affect, basically featuring just the drop. Compared to the more modern dive machines, it may seem very lacking, but the theme and the huge drop underground elevate it into a great thrill ride, plus it has some of the shortest queues amongst the coasters at the park.

 

2 – Thirteen

 

This may seem like an odd choice for second place, with it being a ‘family’ coaster, but when you take it for what it is (ignoring all the hype that they built about it being the ultimate coaster) for me Thirteen is a fun all-round experience. It may not have big thrills, but it has a fun albeit short coaster section outdoors, the drop track in the crypt is fantastic, and the short backwards section is good also. One of the best things about the coaster is that it’s a people eater, when they have all three trains running the queue hardly stops moving, and a full queue line can take under an hour to get through.

 

1 – Nemesis

 

This is probably the most obvious choice for the top spot, but the oldest of the major coasters is by far still the best in the park, and for me my favourite coaster I’ve ridden (admittedly my coaster count is a bit on the low side). I guess it’s a bit of a bit of a stereotype for someone from the UK to have Nemesis as their top coaster, but I’m certainly no fanboy who won’t even consider that a coaster could be better than Nemesis, but out of the ones I’ve ridden it is my favourite. I’ve never had a bad ride on it, and it is a great reliable coaster that is guaranteed to give you a great intense ride everytime, especially at night after a long day running.

[SixFlagsAstroworld]

SFSTL:

 

1. Screamin' Eagle

2. Batman

3. American Thunder

4. Mr. Freeze

5. The Boss

6. Mine Train

7. Pandemonium

8. Boomerang

9. Ninja

[JT325]

1. Mindbender - still glass smooth after all this time and classic Anton Schwarzkopf forcefulness coupled with lap bar only trains, beautiful use of the terrain

 

Agree! Perfect variation in pacing; perfect seating for air time and later time; a "no-rush" layout orchestrated by the coaster gods. Rates as my personal #3, right behind two woodies.

[Imagineer Josh]

While not my home park, Little Amerricka is the second closest park to where I live. I just went there during the last weekend in September and I completely forgot I went lol

 

1. Mad Mouse (While not as smooth as some others, it's pretty darn fun for a wild mouse)

2. Little Dipper (How often is it that you find a kiddie coaster with ejector airtime?)

3. Meteor (Honestly, least thrilling ride in the park)

4. Wild & Wooly Toboggan (One word - OUCH!)

[RollingCoasting]

2. Little Dipper (How often is it that you find a kiddie coaster with ejector airtime?)

 

Allen Herschell kiddie coasters are known for having some nice airtime

[PKI Jizzman]

For the first 23 years of my life, Kings Island was my home park.

 

1. Diamondback

2. Beast

3. Banshee

4. Bat/TopGun

5. Flight of Fear

6. Adventure Express

7. Stunt Track

8. Racer

9. Vortex

10. Invertigo

11. Firehawk

Kiddie coasters

 

Six Flags Great America has been my home park for the last 2 seasons. It's really hard to rank them because there are 2 great coasters, a ton of good coasters, and a few mediocre coasters. I like Giant Drop, waterpark slides, and Condor more than most coasters there.

 

1. Goliath

1. Raging Bull (battle of the best first drops!)

1. Batman

2. XFlight

2. V2

2. Viper

2. Eagle

2. Demon (holy shit that drop in the back)

3. Whizzer

3. Dark Knight

3. Superman

 

Curious to see how I like the S&S freespin next year.

[larrygator]

Great Adventure

El Toro

Nitro

Batman:The Ride

Joker

Bizarro

Green Lantern

Superman

Kingda Ka

Skull Mountain

Runaway Mine Train

Dark Knight

Harley Quinn Crazy Train

Road Runner Railway

[storms555]

For the first 23 years of my life, Kings Island was my home park.

 

1. Diamondback

2. Beast

3. Banshee

4. Bat/TopGun

5. Flight of Fear

6. Adventure Express

7. Stunt Track

8. Racer

9. Vortex

10. Invertigo

11. Firehawk

Kiddie coasters

 

Six Flags Great America has been my home park for the last 2 seasons. It's really hard to rank them because there are 2 great coasters, a ton of good coasters, and a few mediocre coasters. I like Giant Drop, waterpark slides, and Condor more than most coasters there.

 

1. Goliath

1. Raging Bull (battle of the best first drops!)

1. Batman

2. XFlight

2. V2

2. Viper

2. Eagle

2. Demon (holy poo-poo that drop in the back)

3. Whizzer

3. Dark Knight

3. Superman

 

Curious to see how I like the S&S freespin next year.

I havent been to KI since 2004 but id like to go back and ride the newer flagship coasters there. They seem epic. However how on earth does Adventure Express rank higher then those coasters especially Vortex. AE doesnt even have drops or doesnt have inversions either....its just twisty track. While Vortex was rough it still had an epic drop(that isnt that tame flatened curved drop like on many other classic coasters with inversions) and fun inversions. But yea i never got the appeal of mine train coasters they dont do much for me. Also never got the appeal of Wizzer either but it seems popular with a lot of GA fans....i guess everyone's different i prefer coasters with drops and inversions oppose to just twists and helixes. heck they dont even have overbanked turns!

[RaceBoarder]

I'm on vacation and sampling some beverages, so I'll go against my normal feelings and do a list for SFGAm:

 

1. Raging Bull

2. Goliath

3. Batman

4. X-Flight

5. Viper

6. V2

7. Whizzer

8. Eagle

9. Little Dipper

10. Superman

11. Dark Knight

12. Demon

 

The gap between Viper and V2 is pretty significant. Little Dipper holds a crap ton of nostalgia/sentimental value as I spent many a day at Kiddieland in the late 80s/early 90s. The bottom three can burn down tomorrow and I won't shed a single tear. Also, I'll never whore myself out to a ride like Spacely's.

[BenBlom]

My home park is Efteling:

 

1. Joris & de Draak (Fire first, Water 2nd)

2. Baron 1898

3. Vliegende Hollander (Flying Dutchman)

4. Python (for nostalgic reasons)

5. Vogel Rok

6. Bob

 

But mostly i visit the Efteling to enjoy the very nice theming and go on a rollercoaster or 2 (its almost always busy @ Efteling with all year round opening)

[Midgetman82]

Kentucky Kingdom (Edit: threw in mini-reviews for fun):

 

1. Storm Chaser - A generally fun airtime machine early in the season turned into an insane ejector-airtime machine later in the season. Overall a seriously wild and incredibly fun coaster to throw your hands up and ride over and over again.

 

2. Lightning Run - Some of the most intense airtime moments you'll ever find on a 100-foot roller coaster, stronger than Storm Chaser! Super-compact layout too. Only reason it's second place is because I find it less re-rideable compared to Storm Chaser, but still an excellent coaster!

 

3. Thunder Run - A pretty decent wooden coaster with good airtime moments on the hills. Doesn't stand out much from the other coasters, but doesn't disappoint either.

 

4. T3 - Not gonna lie, it's not smooth. And it is occasionally prone to thigh pinching. But it doesn't beat me to a pulp either, and it's a much better experience now than it used to be in the past. Still a wild and re-rideable coaster to me, but only for a few times in a row.

 

5. Roller Skater - The fact it's kinda high above a little creek makes this kiddie coaster a little more intense (and fun) than it should. One of the few Roller Skaters I can shamelessly ride, if it's a walk-on.

[cfc]

Hmm . . . let's see.

 

Busch Gardens Williamsburg

 

1. Griffon

2. Apollo's Chariot

3. Alpengeist

4. Verbolten

5. Tempesto

6. Loch Ness Monster

7. Grover's Alpine Express

[boldikus]

^

 

But I'd swap Apollo and Alpengeist and we didn't ride Grover though I should have just cause its Grover.

[DarienLaker]

Darien Lake

 

1. Viper

2. Ride of Steel

3. Motocoaster

4. Boomerang

5. Mind Eraser

6. Predator

Edited November 20, 2016 by DarienLaker

[coasterbill]

1. Viper

2. Ride of Steel

 

[Password121]

^

 

Not really "home" parks, but most frequented and nearby...

 

Great Adventure

 

1. El Toro

2. Nitro

3. Batman

4. Kingda Ka

5. Bizarro

6. Superman

7. Skull Mountain

8. Green Lantern

9. Runaway Mine Train

10. Dark Knight

11. Blackbeard/Whatever

 

Joker was closed when I visited last, but I feel like it'd be somewhere around 4-6.

 

Kings Dominion

 

1. Intimidator 305

2. Dominator

3. Volcano

4. Flight of Fear

5. Uhhh... Backlot?

6. Woodstock Express

Mediocre: Rebel Yell, Grizzly, Avalanche, Ricochet, Anaconda

 

Six Flags America

 

1. Superman

2. Wild One

3. Joker's Jinx

4. Batwing

5. Roar

6. Ragin Cajun

7. Mind Eraser

8. Apocalypse

[Angle O. Descent]

Canada's Wonderland:

 

1. Behemoth

2. Leviathan

3. Wild Beast

4. Vortex

5. The Bat

* Skyrider

6. Stunt Coaster

7. Dragon Fire

8. Guardian

9. Thunder Run

10. Ghoster Coaster

11. Fly

12. Mine Buster

13. Flight Deck

14. Silver Streak

15. Time Warp

Not Ridden: Taxi Jam

[MidwestThemeParks]

Valleyfair

1) Wild Thing

2) Renegade

3) Steel Venom

4) Excalibur

5) High Roller

6) Mad Mouse

7) Corkscrew

 

Wild Thing only above Renegade because I didn't get stuck on it 2 out of the three times I rode it

[coasterschile]

Mhmm well there's a Vekoma SLC, Boomerang and MIne Train (same model as Calamity Mine, not as much themed).

Honestly I don't know which one is better

 

I think I'll have to stay with the Mine Train.

 

Fantasilandia:

1.- Tren Minero (Mine Train)

2.- Boomerang

3.- Raptor (SLC)

4.- Wild Mouse (Zamperla)

5.- Dragon (Zamperla Double Helix Powered)

 

Kinda sad.

[storms555]

^coming here a lot now i learning more and more about roller coasters i come to learn Vekomas are pretty much the Wal-mart of the coaster world....lol Intiman and B&M would be like the high end designer clothing store of the coaster world

[jh5292]

Sea World Orlando:

1. Mako

2. Manta

3. Kraken

 

Busch Gardens Tampa

1. Sheikra

2. Montu

3. Cheetah Hunt

4. Cobra's Curse

5. Sand Serpant

6. Scorpion

7. Kumba

 

And since I spent the first 18 years of my life in IL and WI...

 

Six Flags Great America

1. X-Flight

2. Goliath

3. Raging Bull

4. Viper

5. Superman

6. American Eagle - Red

7. Demon

8. V2

9. Whizzer

10. American Eagle - Blue

11. Batman

12. Dark Knight

[MrSum1_55]

SFDK:

1. The Joker

2. Superman

3. Medusa

4. V2

5. Boomerang

6 Kong

 

CGA:

1. Gold Striker

2. Flight Deck

3. (Soon to be) Patriot

4. Psycho Mouse

5. Demon

6. Grizzly

[9Armgeddon4]

Great Thread.

My location says it all

1. Raging Bull

2. Goliath

3. Viper

4. Batman The Ride

5. X-Flight

6. Whizzer

7. AE Blue

8. AE Red

9. Demon

10. V2

11. Superman

12. Dark Knight

13. Little Dipper

14. Spacely's Sprocket Rockets

I decided to rank both sides of Eagle separate.

 

I'm going to make a another list but this one will include every coaster that I have ridden at the park including the default ones.

1. Raging Bull

2. Deja Vu

3. Goliath

4. Viper

5. Batman The Ride

6. X-Flight

7. Whizzer

8. Shockwave

9. AE Blue

10. AE Red

11. Demon

12. Ragin Cajun

13. V2

14. Superman

15. Iron Wolf

16. Dark Knight

17. Little Dipper

18. Spacely's Sprocket Rocket

[Imagineer Josh]

Again, while not my home park, it's the park I go to 2nd most often under GAm.

 

Six Flags St. Louis

 

1. Screamin Eagle - Score, 9/10

2. Mr. Freeze Reverse Blast - Score, 8.5/10

3. Batman The Ride - Score, 8/10

4. American Thunder - Score, 8/10

5. Pandemonium - Score, 7/10

6. Ninja - Score, 6.5/10

7. Boomerang - Score, 6/10

8. River King Mine Train - Score, 4.5/10

9. Boss - Score, 4/10