Top 10's

Martin Doyle · November 20, 2020

A revised top 10 parks

1. Cedar Point

2. Phantasialand

3. Universal Orlando (I count both Studios and Islands as one given they are next door to the other)

4. Europa Park

5. Liseberg

6. Efteling

7. Busch Gardens Tampa

8. Walt Disney World (I know its four parks...but who cares!!??)

9. Portaventura

10. Kings Island

JoshuaA · November 20, 2020

Top ten parks:

1. Europa Park

2. Cedar Point

3. Phantasialand

4. Alton Towers

5. Six Flags Great America

6. Six Flags Over Texas

7. BPB

8. Universal Studios+ IOA (this was agessss ago tho lol)

9. Disneyland Paris

10. Portaventura

So Universal Studios definitely would go up if I went back. I decided not to rank Seaworld and the Florida Disney parks as I have no memories of either of them. I had trouble with 5 and 6, Over Texas is more beautiful and has texas charm, though Great America has the superior coaster lineup.

Martin Doyle · November 20, 2020

3 hours ago, JoshuaA said:

So Universal Studios definitely would go up if I went back. I decided not to rank Seaworld and the Florida Disney parks as I have no memories of either of them. I had trouble with 5 and 6, Over Texas is more beautiful and has texas charm, though Great America has the superior coaster lineup.

If Velocicoaster is the coaster it looks like its going to be, I personally will be placing universal up at number 2 on my list!!

Universal has an amazing dark ride and water ride collection as well as a solid indoor coaster and the retracked Hulk is a solid coaster. To have a world class elite level coaster would take the place up to a whole new level to me. Velocicoaster very much looks set to deliver that!!

Matt 236 · November 20, 2020

Now is probably a good time for me to update my bucket list:

1/ Walt Disney World Florida

2/ Universal Florida

3/ Six Flags Mountain

4/ Energylandia

5/ Walibi Holland

6/ Disneyland CA

7/ Busch Gardens Tampa

8/ Dollywood

9/ Movie Park Germany

10/ Grona Lund

Tried to keep it inline with realism, eventhough I probably won’t be visiting any of these for like another 5-10 years.

Wait and see I guess.

Matt 236 · August 22, 2021

*Sometime later* (double post)

Time to polish the list up!

Coasters:

1/ Steel Vengeance

2/ Zadra

3/ Taron

4/ Oziris

5/ Hyperion

6/ Shambhala

7/ Millenium Force

8/ Helix

9/ Nemesis

10/ Wodan

Parks:

1/ Europa Park

2/ Cedar Point

3/ Phantasialand

4/ Efteling

5/ Disneyland Paris

6/ Energylandia

7/ Liseberg

8/ Parc Asterix

9/Toverland

10/ Alton Towers

I’m not gonna write a bucket park list given things are still tricky, plus most of it is still Orlando parks.

Matt N · December 21, 2021

I don't think I've ever posted my top 10 coasters on here, so here's my list with a little explanation as to why each ride is where it is, as well as each ride's score out of 10 for how much I enjoy it relative to the other coasters I've done. Before starting, I should probably clarify that I don't rate coasters purely based on intensity; fun factor and rerideability are the two most important factors for me. My very favourite coasters are all rides that are thrilling enough to give you a kick out of riding them, but not so intense that they put you off reriding or do things to your body, and they're also all reasonably smooth and comfortable to a point; I'm not personally a fan of overly rough rides. I've also noticed that I personally like airtime coasters the most, or rides with at least a certain degree of negative g's or "out of your seat" action of some description (so hangtime might also count).

Matt N's Top 10 Coasters as of December 2021 (Coaster Count: 79)

Mako - SeaWorld Orlando: My first and last rides on this coaster were in August 2016, but the 3 rides I had on Mako stick out to me as 3 of my favourite coaster rides ever even 5 years on; my first ride in particular gave me a hit of pure joy no coaster has since! As for why this coaster sticks out compared to the rest; where do I begin? As soon as you board the train, the restraints are some of the most gorgeously comfortable coaster restraints I've ever sat in, and when the ride itself kicks into motion, there's so much amazing stuff going on; the sustained airtime is phenomenal throughout, with the first drop, first big hill and speed hill sticking out as 3 particularly biblical airtime moments (I know floater is often considered weak airtime nowadays, but 13 year old me remembers it feeling like I was being catapulted into space, and floating in the air for what felt like forever!), and even away from airtime, the sense of speed is amazing, and the ride is so blissfully smooth, negotiating each element with what feels like flawless precision! And on the whole, while it may not be an intense g-machine, Mako is a coaster where I felt a strong urge to run back round and give it another go each time I did it, more so than any other coaster I've been on; I think the balance between thrill and fun factor/rerideability is just perfect! Prior to riding this, I was a little lost as to why enthusiasts revered airtime so much, but Mako was the coaster that converted me, and made me understand that love for airtime that most enthusiasts have! I'll admit that I'm unsure if this should still be number 1 what with how long it's been (with some of the amazing coasters below like Icon, Wicker Man et al, I worry that this wouldn't stand up if I were to ride it today), but I've decided to keep it here for now on the basis of the memories. What do you guys think? 10/10
Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach: Controversially, I do really love Icon! I’ve ridden it 4 times on 2 separate visits to Blackpool in 2018 & 2019, and it’s really struck a chord with me, hitting all the right notes each time! It’s fast, it’s thrilling enough to give you a kick but not too intense to be fun, it’s smooth, it’s rerideable, it has some amazing ejector airtime, the trains are lovely, the rapid transitions are great, and on the whole, I see little not to like about Icon from my personal perspective! Sure, the launches aren’t the punchiest (although I don’t personally think they’re as feeble as they’re often made out to be), and the ride as a whole isn’t exactly an intense, pedal-to-the-metal g-machine, but I just find it tremendously, tremendously fun, and it puts a smile on my face and gives me an urge to reride every time! And surely coming off a coaster smiling and wanting to go round again is the most important indicator of enjoyment, is it not? 10/10
Wicker Man - Alton Towers: I’m not usually a hardcore wooden coaster fan like a lot of enthusiasts, but I’d have to say that Wicker Man is most definitely a ride I make an exception for; I find it tremendously fun, fairly smooth and comfortable in wooden coaster terms, and very rerideable! The ride is really, really fast, it has some smooth yet exceedingly fun transitions, many surprising pops of ejector airtime, and as I’ve said with the rides above, it strikes the perfect balance between thrill and fun factor, in my opinion! And on the back row in particular, this coaster is a real hoot, with some excellent airtime moments, although I think every row is fun on Wicker Man, personally! Overall, I think Wicker Man is a hugely fun ride; even if it isn't the most intense coaster, it always puts a huge smile on my face! 10/10
Mine Blower - Fun Spot Kissimmee: I know that 2 wooden coasters in my top 5 might possibly contradict my earlier statement about not being a hardcore wooden coaster fan, but Mine Blower is the other ride that I’d say I make an exception for! I should preface what I say about Mine Blower by saying that I only had one ride on it, in the front row, with a practically empty train. However, in spite of this; Mine Blower did impress me, and I think there’s a lot to like about it! The ride is fast-paced from start to finish, and I absolutely love that bouncing, darting sequence of airtime moments the ride incorporates! I also love the ride’s sole inversion; that zero-g roll provides a really excellent moment of sustained hangtime! I know it’s in stark contrast to the more abrupt, erratic sensations in the rest of the layout, but I really like how the start of the ride contrasts with the rest of it! I was slightly worried about Mine Blower’s roughness prior to riding, as I have a low roughness tolerance and I’d heard numerous reports about Mine Blower’s roughness, but on the front row, I’d personally say I didn’t find it overly rough; no more so than something like Wicker Man, anyway. One slight caveat I admittedly have is that I don’t like the trains as much as the GCI trains; the restraints are a bit tight, and I think the GCI rolling stock generally feels a bit more comfortable, in my opinion. Overall, however; even though I’d say Wicker Man just edges it for me in terms of woodies (the trains are far more comfortable, and I also really like the smooth twisty bits on Wicker), I was very impressed by Mine Blower, and I’d say it’s a more than worthy candidate for a favourite woodie! 9/10
Oblivion - Alton Towers: Perhaps oddly given the one-note nature of it, Oblivion is a coaster I've really grown to love with time! This could admittedly be a tentative opinion until I get back on SheiKra, but to be honest, I actually think I like Oblivion more nowadays; I love how concise it is, and although it doesn't do a lot, I think Oblivion does everything it has in its arsenal extremely well! The sense of speed on the drop is phenomenal; my dad always says to me whenever we ride it together that Oblivion feels like the fastest coaster he's ever done, and I can certainly see why he thinks that, as it really feels like you're flying at warpspeed through that tunnel! The airtime is also great, in my opinion; the drop itself provides an excellent moment of strong sustained airtime, and the hill into the brakes also provides a surprising bonus pop! The ride is also really smooth and comfortable, in my opinion; for a coaster of 23 years old, I think it's aged phenomenally, and I think that as OTSRs go, B&M's traditional ones are about as unobtrusive and comfortable as they come! Overall, while it might be short, I think Oblivion is certainly sweet! 9/10
Montu - Busch Gardens Tampa: My memories of Busch Gardens Tampa are getting hazier with time, as it’s close to 5 years since my first and only visit, but I do remember very much liking Montu! I remember it being relatively smooth, as B&Ms mostly are, but also packing a real punch! It was a long ride, but one that kept its momentum throughout, and it had many awesome inversions and moments of positive force! The one ride I had certainly sticks out as my favourite ride I’ve had on a B&M invert, and I remember really liking it at the time, but I’m unsure whether I’d rank it quite as highly now, as my tastes have changed slightly towards rides with more negative g’s and a wider variety of forces on offer as opposed to rides with little aside from positive g’s. Still, Montu is a fab invert, in my opinion! 9/10
SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa: As I alluded to in my musings about Oblivion above, this is probably a tentative ranking until I get a reride on SheiKra, but in spite of me now saying I rank Oblivion a bit higher, I did still really like SheiKra, from memory! The ride is massive, which adds a certain element of fear to it, and I remember the drops and big, swoopy elements being really nice! I really do need a reride, though; based on my recent experience with Oblivion, it might well end up pushing SheiKra up a few spots… 9/10
Nemesis Inferno - Thorpe Park: This coaster has really grown on me in recent years, and perhaps controversially, I'd now say it is my favourite of Britain's two Nemesises (Nemesi? I don't really know what the plural of Nemesis is...) by a marginal amount (as for how marginal; Nemesis is the coaster directly below!)! The reasons I like this coaster marginally more than Nemesis are that it's smoother, more consistent in terms of keeping up the pace throughout the layout, and also that it doesn't have any sustained greyout moments like Nemesis' helix (perhaps controversially, I'm not a greyout fan; I often think too much intensity can take away from a ride, personally). And in terms of Inferno as a standalone coaster on its own merits; I think it's a great one, personally! The ride is nice and fast throughout, thrilling without being overly intense, fairly smooth (I only got a slight bit of headbanging on my last ride), and on the whole, it's a coaster I like a lot! It's not quite up there as one of my very favourites as I don't rate coasters focused solely on positives as highly as I used to, but Inferno's still a hoot, for my money! 9/10
Nemesis - Alton Towers: As much as Inferno may just have pipped it among British inverts, I still think there's a hell of a lot to like about the original Nemesis! Firstly, I admire its raw brilliance as a structure and a feat of engineering; it still blows my mind how John Wardley packed so much into that pit! I also have a long relationship with Nemesis, and it’s my most ridden coaster of all time, with me having had 24 rides in total since 2013, so I do have a lot of love for it, in that regard! And when we go to the layout itself; as much as Nemesis isn't quite as smooth and consistently paced as Inferno, in my opinion, there's still a lot to like, in my opinion, and I think there's some great elements in there, personally! However, I'm controversially not a fan of Nemesis' much revered helix; as much as I think the pacing and design of it are excellent, I don't personally enjoy the sustained grey out moment it always gives me. Overall, I still think Nemesis is a fantastic inverted coaster that I always really enjoy; even if I don’t rank it quite as highly as others, that’s simply because as I said about other rides above, I don’t personally rate coasters focusing exclusively on positive g’s quite as highly as I used to. 9/10
The Swarm - Thorpe Park: This might surprise you based on its current placement, but prior to riding Mako in 2016, Swarm was actually my favourite coaster. And I won't deny, there's still a lot that I love about it; the sense of speed is phenomenal (you really do feel like you're flying!), the winged seating does add something, and I think the ride has some phenomenal moments (the first drop is absolutely amazing, and the negative g forces in that last inversion are just blissful, in my opinion!)! However, I've been going off it a little as of late, and I can think of numerous reasons why it doesn't rank as highly as it used to for me. For starters, I'm growing less keen on the restraints; I didn't used to mind them, but they seem a lot tighter nowadays, and they also seem to come down on you further during the ride. Also, while I wouldn't call Swarm rough by any stretch, it does seem to be getting a touch rougher and losing that silky smoothness I always loved about it; the outer back ride I had in September seemed fairly juddery to the point where it did take away from the ride a bit for me, and while the inner seats were much smoother and more enjoyable, even those inner rides seemed to have a slight grind/rattle that the ride never used to have. Finally, the helicopter helix has started inducing a somewhat unpleasant sustained greyout that I haven't been particularly enjoying (I love the rest of Swarm, but as with any sustained greyout, I just sort of grin and bear this moment and wait for it to be over), which takes away from it slightly for me. Sorry if I sound very picky there, and I could well have had hit Swarm on a bad day in September (noone else seems to pick up on many of the things I mentioned there; am I going mad?), but I just felt I should explain why the ride isn't higher given that it was my favourite coaster for 2 years pre-Mako. For now, Swarm's highs are great enough and its lows are inconsequential enough to narrowly keep it in the top 10, but Inferno has superseded it as my favourite Thorpe coaster now, which I never thought would happen a few years ago, and with me hoping to visit Europa next year, time will tell if Swarm stays in the top 10. 9/10

So, that's my top 10 coasters! I apologise if any of that is controversial, and if you want to question me on any of that, ask away!

P.S. Here's the rest of my list in case you're wondering where a certain ride is that's missing: https://captaincoaster.com/en/tops/192

*JoshC.* · April 19, 2022

My updated list after my recent Heide/Hansa trip:

1. Taron, Phantasialand

2. Taiga, Linnanmäki

3. Untamed, Walibi Holland

4. Helix, Liseberg

5. Oz'Iris, Parc Asterix

6. Balder, Liseberg

7. Lost Gravity, Walibi Holland

8. Der Schwur des Kärnan, Hansa Park

9. Nemesis, Alton Towers

10. Joris en de Draak, Efteling

11. Colossos - Kampf der Giganten, Heide Park

12. Goliath, Walibi Holland

13. Troy, Toverland

14. Black Mamba, Phantasialand

15. Hyperion, Energylandia

That's my "Top 10% of ranked rides" (ie creds ridden ignoring kiddie/little junior ones).

I think positions 9-13 are all very fluid; very much depends on my mood. Joris feels like a bit of an outlier on a first glance I think, but then I remember I have so much damn fun on it from start to finish that it really does deserve that spot.

Mark9 · May 1, 2022

The Extra special, lock down rollercoaster, pandemic 2020 - February 2022 top rollercoaster list that I forgot to do last year because there was barely anything new ridden.

1. Velocicoaster - I'm shameless. This is the stand out rollercoaster from the past two years of coaster desert. If you like your Taron's but you also like your Helix then this is the perfect in between.

2. F.L.Y. - I think the biggest part that makes this a stand out ride is how it weaves between Rookburgh. This is a ride that I would point to if I was to explain why European parks are miles better then American ones. From its 10/10 soundtrack to its extra special details all across the area, the beautiful surroundings and surrounding hotel make this an absolute must do.

3. Hagrids Motorbike ride thing. - I didn't think this was a stand out ride really but in the middle of a coaster drought, things like this will rate highly. I remain amazed that it works at all.

4. Storm Chaser - Whilst I don't think is an outstanding ride per se, I think its testament to Paultons that its theming and integrity are what holds this up as one of the better rides in the UK. I hope this ride pushes the success that this park fully deserves as its rides like this and Cyclonator that younger people will ride and begin to love rides, the same way that vampire and rattlesnake were important to me.

5. Gringotts Coaster - This is a rollercoaster in the loosest sense of the word. If you like effects happening around and endless screens then boy have I the ride for you.

Special mention to the Hulk, which whilst isn't an entirely new rollercoaster, was riding much better then its older version.

Matt N · May 9, 2022

Following my recent trip to Europa Park, as well as a bit of general thought, my top 10 and top 30 have some changes! Looking at my last post in here, I also think that I may need to update some of the descriptions for existing entries...

Matt N's Top 10 as of May 2022 (Coaster Count: 91)

(New entries and description updates in italics, moved entries underlined)

Mako - SeaWorld Orlando: My first and last rides on this coaster were in August 2016, but the 3 rides I had on Mako stick out to me as 3 of my favourite coaster rides ever even 5 years on; my first ride in particular gave me a hit of pure joy no coaster has since! As for why this coaster sticks out compared to the rest; where do I begin? As soon as you board the train, the restraints are some of the most gorgeously comfortable coaster restraints I've ever sat in, and when the ride itself kicks into motion, there's so much amazing stuff going on; the sustained airtime is phenomenal throughout, with the first drop, first big hill and speed hill sticking out as 3 particularly biblical airtime moments (I know floater is often considered weak airtime nowadays, but 13 year old me remembers it feeling like I was being catapulted into space, and floating in the air for what felt like forever!), and even away from airtime, the sense of speed is amazing, and the ride is so blissfully smooth, negotiating each element with what feels like flawless precision! And on the whole, while it may not be an intense g-machine, Mako is a coaster where I felt a strong urge to run back round and give it another go each time I did it, more so than any other coaster I've been on; I think the balance between thrill and fun factor/rerideability is just perfect! Prior to riding this, I was a little lost as to why enthusiasts revered airtime so much, but Mako was the coaster that converted me, and made me understand that love for airtime that most enthusiasts have! I'll admit that I'm unsure if this should still be number 1 what with how long it's been (with some of the amazing coasters below like Icon, Wicker Man et al, I worry that this wouldn't stand up if I were to ride it today), but I've decided to keep it here for now on the basis of the memories. What do you guys think? Having recently ridden Silver Star and adored it, I am feeling a fair amount more confident about Mako's placement; the B&M Hyper experience still holds up! 10/10
Silver Star - Europa Park: I had high hopes for Silver Star what with Mako being my number 1, but at the same time, noone seems to especially rate it, so I had somewhat lowered expectations, and I was also extremely nervous to see how the B&M Hyper experience held up 6 years on from Mako. However, I shouldn't have had a single worry; Silver Star was a huge surprise for me! It well and truly blew me away, and the B&M Hyper experience well and truly lived up to my memories of it! I said a lot about Mako in the paragraph above, but by extension, a fair amount of that could describe Silver Star as well, as it encapsulates a vast percentage of Mako's great qualities; it has sublime sustained airtime, it's got an awesome sense of speed, it's smooth, it's rerideable, the trains are awesome, and it has so much more! One other thing I love about Silver Star is its ending and consistent pace; as well as the sublime sustained floater in the first half, you also have some phenomenal pops of ejector after the MCBR, which are both phenomenally strong and surprisingly sustained, as well as a fun s-bend that sends you flying into the brake run! In terms of why it's below Mako; we're honestly talking very pedantic differences here. While SS has sublime and breathtaking airtime, I'd say that no individual moment of airtime on SS had quite the same impact as some of Mako's very strongest airtime moments, like its first drop and first hill, and I'd also say that while SS is very smooth and comfortable on the whole, Mako has this sublime feeling of 100% glass smoothness that Silver Star can't quite compete with, and that was one of the things I loved about it. Nonetheless, though, Silver Star is a truly stunning coaster, and it well and truly had Mako quaking in its boots more than any ride I've ridden post-Mako; while it is #2 rather than #1, there's very little in it, and that verdict was reached after much deliberation! What a stunning ride type the B&M Hyper Coaster is; Mako and Silver Star are both truly phenomenal! 10/10
Wodan Timbur Coaster - Europa Park: Unhinged. Nuts. Crazy. Those are just some of the adjectives you could use to describe Wodan, yet I'm not sure any of them quite do it justice! Wodan is easily the most relentless roller coaster I have ever been on; this is a layout that has not a single dull moment, and it feels truly out of control from start to finish! The twists and turns are really fun too, and the ride is absolutely packed with airtime; every element seems to hurl you out of your seat with an awesome pop of strong ejector, even in places where you might not necessarily expect airtime! The first drop is awesome, with an awesome moment of airtime going down it, the turns in the middle are so fast and ride great, and the little airtime pops towards the end are awesome and provide some sublime ejector airtime! Overall, Wodan is an exceptional roller coaster, and while I wouldn't call it intense in the traditional sense, it is absolutely demented! Yet it's also so much fun; I love it, and it's an easy steal for #3, as well as my #1 wooden coaster spot! 10/10
Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach: Controversially, I do really love Icon! I’ve ridden it 4 times on 2 separate visits to Blackpool in 2018 & 2019, and it’s really struck a chord with me, hitting all the right notes each time! It’s fast, it’s thrilling enough to give you a kick but not too intense to be fun, it’s smooth, it’s rerideable, it has some amazing ejector airtime, the trains are lovely, the rapid transitions are great, and on the whole, I see little not to like about Icon from my personal perspective! Sure, the launches aren’t the punchiest (although I don’t personally think they’re as feeble as they’re often made out to be), and the ride as a whole isn’t exactly an intense, pedal-to-the-metal g-machine, but I just find it tremendously, tremendously fun, and it puts a smile on my face and gives me an urge to reride every time! And surely coming off a coaster smiling and wanting to go round again is the most important indicator of enjoyment, is it not? 10/10
Wicker Man - Alton Towers: I’m not usually a hardcore wooden coaster fan like a lot of enthusiasts, but I’d have to say that Wicker Man is most definitely a ride I make an exception for; I find it tremendously fun, fairly smooth and comfortable in wooden coaster terms, and very rerideable! The ride is really, really fast, it has some smooth yet exceedingly fun transitions, many surprising pops of ejector airtime, and as I’ve said with the rides above, it strikes the perfect balance between thrill and fun factor, in my opinion! And on the back row in particular, this coaster is a real hoot, with some excellent airtime moments, although I think every row is fun on Wicker Man, personally! Overall, I think Wicker Man is a hugely fun ride; even if it isn't the most intense coaster, it always puts a huge smile on my face! 10/10
Mine Blower - Fun Spot Kissimmee: I know that 2 3 wooden coasters in my top 5 10 might possibly contradict my earlier statement about not being a hardcore wooden coaster fan, but Mine Blower is ~~the other~~ another ride that I’d say I make an exception for! I should preface what I say about Mine Blower by saying that I only had one ride on it, in the front row, with a practically empty train. However, in spite of this; Mine Blower did impress me, and I think there’s a lot to like about it! The ride is fast-paced from start to finish, and I absolutely love that bouncing, darting sequence of airtime moments the ride incorporates! I also love the ride’s sole inversion; that zero-g roll provides a really excellent moment of sustained hangtime! I know it’s in stark contrast to the more abrupt, erratic sensations in the rest of the layout, but I really like how the start of the ride contrasts with the rest of it! I was slightly worried about Mine Blower’s roughness prior to riding, as I have a low roughness tolerance and I’d heard numerous reports about Mine Blower’s roughness, but on the front row, I’d personally say I didn’t find it overly rough; no more so than something like Wicker Man, anyway. One slight caveat I admittedly have is that I don’t like the trains as much as the GCI trains; the restraints are a bit tight, and I think the GCI rolling stock generally feels a bit more comfortable, in my opinion. Overall, however; even though I’d say the two GCIs just edges beat it for me in terms of woodies (the trains are far more comfortable, and I also really like the smooth twisty bits on Wicker and Wodan, and I think the pacing is on another level on Wodan in particular), I was very impressed by Mine Blower, and I’d say it’s a more than worthy candidate for a favourite woodie! 9/10
Montu - Busch Gardens Tampa: My memories of Busch Gardens Tampa are getting hazier with time, as it’s close to 5 years since my first and only visit, but I do remember very much liking Montu! I remember it being relatively smooth, as B&Ms mostly are, but also packing a real punch! It was a long ride, but one that kept its momentum throughout, and it had many awesome inversions and moments of positive force! The one ride I had certainly sticks out as my favourite ride I’ve had on a B&M invert, and I remember really liking it at the time, but I’m unsure whether I’d rank it quite as highly now, as my tastes have changed slightly towards rides with more negative g’s and a wider variety of forces on offer as opposed to rides with little aside from positive g’s. Still, Montu is a fab invert, in my opinion! 9/10
SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa: As I alluded to in my musings about Oblivion above, this is probably a tentative ranking until I get a reride on SheiKra, but in spite of me now saying I rank Oblivion a bit higher, I did still really like SheiKra, from memory! The ride is massive, which adds a certain element of fear to it, and I remember the drops and big, swoopy elements being really nice! I really do need a reride, though; based on my recent experience with Oblivion, it might well end up pushing SheiKra up a few spots… 9/10
Oblivion - Alton Towers: Perhaps oddly given the one-note nature of it, Oblivion is a coaster I've really grown to love with time! ~~This could admittedly be a tentative opinion until I get back on SheiKra, but to be honest, I actually think I like Oblivion more nowadays~~ I think I like SheiKra slightly more, but Oblivion is fantastic in its own right; I love how concise it is, and although it doesn't do a lot, I think Oblivion does everything it has in its arsenal extremely well! The sense of speed on the drop is phenomenal; my dad always says to me whenever we ride it together that Oblivion feels like the fastest coaster he's ever done, and I can certainly see why he thinks that, as it really feels like you're flying at warpspeed through that tunnel! The airtime is also great, in my opinion; the drop itself provides an excellent moment of strong sustained airtime, and the hill into the brakes also provides a surprising bonus pop! The ride is also really smooth and comfortable, in my opinion; for a coaster of 23 years old, I think it's aged phenomenally, and I think that as OTSRs go, B&M's traditional ones are about as unobtrusive and comfortable as they come! Overall, while it might be short, I think Oblivion is certainly sweet! 9/10
Blue Fire - Europa Park: This is a lovely ride! The launch is punchy, the inversions are nice, the trains are comfortable, the hangtime is nice, it's smooth... Blue Fire is just overall a really, really nice coaster. It's rerideable, it's fun, and definitely something I enjoyed; what's not to like? And that last roll is amazing; definitely up there as one of my favourite inversions! However, if I'm being phenomenally picky, it just lacks a little something to make it truly top-tier for me, and I can't quite put my finger on what. I did feel that it lacked airtime for a ride of its type (although it's not really designed to be an airtime machine, I guess), and 1 or 2 of the transitions felt slightly unnatural, but I'm not sure that it was either of those things on its own. It might not help that it's in the same park as the absolutely phenomenal one-two punch of Silver Star and Wodan, but it's definitely not quite hitting my 10/10 tier based on the rides I had, and I definitely rank it lower than Icon, which surprised me slightly based off of most people seemingly preferring Blue Fire. Nevertheless, it's a really excellent coaster that I thoroughly enjoyed, and certainly deserves its place at #10; it's a great ride! 9/10

Matt N's Top 30 as of May 2022 (Coaster Count: 91)

(New entries in bold, moved entries in italics

Mako - SeaWorld Orlando (10/10)
Silver Star - Europa Park (10/10)
Wodan Timbur Coaster - Europa Park (10/10)
Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach (10/10)
Wicker Man - Alton Towers (10/10)
Mine Blower - Fun Spot Kissimmee (9/10)
Montu - Busch Gardens Tampa (9/10)
SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa (9/10)
Oblivion - Alton Towers (9/10)
Blue Fire - Europa Park (9/10)
Nemesis - Alton Towers (9/10)
Nemesis Inferno - Thorpe Park (9/10)
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts - Universal Studios Florida (8/10)
Revenge of the Mummy - Universal Studios Florida (8/10)
Rita - Alton Towers (8/10)
The Swarm - Thorpe Park (8/10)
Kraken - SeaWorld Orlando (8/10)
Incredible Hulk - Universal's Islands of Adventure (8/10)
Kumba - Busch Gardens Tampa (8/10)
Cheetah Hunt - Busch Gardens Tampa (8/10)
CanCan Coaster - Europa Park (8/10)
Thirteen - Alton Towers (8/10)
Megafobia - Oakwood (7/10)
Rock'n'Rollercoaster - Disney's Hollywood Studios (7/10)
Arthur - Europa Park (7/10)
Pegasus - Europa Park (7/10)
Slinky Dog Dash - Disney's Hollywood Studios (7/10)
Avalanche - Blackpool Pleasure Beach (7/10)
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train - Disney's Magic Kingdom (7/10)
Flight of the Pterosaur - Paultons Park (7/10)

I'm not sure I'll ever be truly content with my coaster rankings at this point... this list could look totally different in very little time!

Charlesberg · September 20, 2022

This list is probably fairly similar to my previous list, that’s mainly because up until a recent trip to Plopsaland I hadn’t been to an abroad theme park since 2017. Uni, music (my other main passion in life) and covid have just got in the way too much but I am very slowly trying to push my way back into going to abroad parks. I’m still annoyed my 3 day trip to PA with onsite accommodation and unlimited express passes got cancelled 2 years ago.

Anyway, back to the list! It’s a bit of a rough list considering that I haven’t ridden many of the coasters on here for years. Any coaster on here from the US I rode in 2016 which makes up over half the list.

Top 15 Roller Coasters:

1. Kingda Ka

Probably because my expectations were lowered slightly, but this properly blew me away! That launch has some insane power but also lasts forever! Then when you start going up the tower that also seems to never end! Before anyone comments, I’m aware everyone usually tends to prefer Dragster but I never got to ride that (and who knows how that’s going to ride now…) but I imagine I probably would’ve loved that even more! But in general, when I think of good memories from my life, riding this coaster is one of the best memories I have!

2. Shambhala

I haven’t ridden this since 2014 so the placement of this is very rough, but I remember been amazed by it throughout. All the times I rode it in 2012 and 2014 I was completely blown away and the on ride DVD from 2012 looks like I’m having a religious experience! This is a coaster I’m dying to get back on at some point though, it’ll probably change places but I’m fairly certain it’ll stay in my top 5!

3. El Toro

Definitely the most intense and craziest coaster I’ve ever been on! I had bruises from the airtime it was that mad! And I must not forget about that first drop in the back row! That drop felt like it had a hydraulic launch on it! I’m aware placing it below Kingda Ka is controversial but whilst it is objectively a better ride, the overall experience of Kingda Ka just stays with me a bit more.

4. The Ride to Happiness

I only managed to get two rides in on this, one at the very start of the day then one later on in the day after almost 3hrs worth of queuing (it broke down after we waited around 1hr, got to the station and they made us leave the queue for it to reopen 30 mins later, we then queued another 1hr 10mins for the exact same thing to happen but this time we were stubborn and stayed, it then opened 40 mins later so we got our second ride!). The first it was running a bit slow so it disappointed me a little but was still a great ride. However by the second ride it had noticeably warmed up and now I understood the hype, definitely an all round amazing experience with the theme, soundtrack and out of control sensation. I do really really need to get more rides though so I’ll try and go back again next year!

5. Nitro

Having ridden Mako earlier that year, to me it felt almost the same but just slightly better. Solid airtime, good length but then that helix into the mid course was a pleasant surprise! You get halfway round it and you’re like “oh sh**, I can’t lift my arms”. I did only get one ride though so my judgement probably isn’t the best.

6. Mako

Unlike Nitro, I got loads of rides in and there’s no other description I can really give other than pure fun! Similar positives to nitro as well as a good soundtrack going up the lift hill and a memorable ending. And this never had a queue when I was there so 16 year old me was in my element back then!

7. Manta

Pretzel loop, enough said! But yeah this coaster was probably the biggest surprise of my Florida trip back in 2016! This and mako and interchangeable! You can clearly tell B&M flyers have come a heck of a long way since Air!

8. Cheetah Hunt

Let me explain! I only got one ride but it was in the back row and I was riding with a close friend at the time. We were just going crazy and having a laugh the whole way round and since it’s a long time we were enjoying that laugh for a while. So whilst the coaster might’ve been worse than I remember, the one ride experience I had on it was amazing and all I can remember was an extremely fun long ride with some good speed!

9. Taron

Also let me explain! Whilst this is probably a far far better coaster than Cheetah Hunt, I also only got one ride on it. It was in the middle row and the person I was with didn’t really like me and was a bit annoyed I’d made him wait 90 mins for it. So again it all came down to the experience as the atmosphere was a bit tense. But it was still a fab coaster and that 2nd launch is hard to top! I do really need to go back at some point, with friends that don’t hate me and not in the middle row!

10. Sheikra

Being a huge fan of Oblivion’s drop, this ride for me just takes it a huge step further with the addition of an actual layout after the drop! The Immelmann is fab then the drop off the mid-course into the tunnel then splashdown makes for a great finale! Despite the small number of elements, as a result of the sheer size and reasonable length of the coaster I didn’t really notice that so to me it was a fantastic coaster and one of my favourites in Florida!

11. Anubis: The Ride

Out of the few Gerstlauers I’ve down (Saw, Smiler, Rage and this) this definitely stood out as the best to me! Partly because it was perfectly smooth to my surprise but it also packed a punch like no other coaster I’d done before! Aside from that dead spot after the mid-course, every single element delivered and was taken at great speed! And that launch is definitely one of the best I’ve done! This ride is telling me I need to get on some more (good) European Gerstlauers!

12. Montu

For me this felt like an invert that was long and had more packed in and as a result is my favourite invert I’ve ridden! It has the intensity and whip of most of the other inverts I’ve ridden but then lasts double the time so of course I’m going to rank this higher!

13. Icon

For what Icon lacks in intensity, the stuff it does have isn’t very common in the UK! It’s a long ride, has lap bars (I know Sik has them too, but they’re not nearly as comfortable) and has plenty of good airtime moments! It’s just one of those rides I feel relaxed but excited when I ride it, it’s also very re-rideable. Then Enso (as a single rider) adds the intensity the ride lacks, though it is a bit too expensive so I won’t factor that into the placement on the list. But personally I adore this coaster and consider it my favourite in the UK! I just wish other coasters in the UK could be long (and comfortable!) rides!

14. OzIris

I haven’t ridden this since 2013 but this felt very similar to Montu but had some standout moments. The first drop not having a pre-drop really makes it rather amazing in the back! And the water feature is really cool as well! A very solid 2nd place B&M invert for me and arguably has better elements than Montu! But Montu’s length does give it the edge in my opinion.

15. Rock 'N' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith (WDW)

The theming really makes this ride for me! Whilst the coaster itself is probably rather average, the storyline of the ride and the experience of being in a runaway limousine with Aerosmith songs blasting out loud was fantastic! And I didn’t find that rough at all so I was just smiling the whole way round! Never got to ride the Paris version but it looks like they might’ve butchered it now…

Mark9 · September 27, 2022

Gosh its been years.

Firstly, the top ten new rollercoasters of 2022:-

1. Wildfire

2. Velocicoaster

3. Monster

4. Goldstriker

5. Jetline

6. Kvasten

7. Hagrids Motorbike Rollercoaster thing

8. Flight Deck

9. Wild Mouse (Grona Lund)

10. Railblazer

And finally, my current top ten rollercoasters.

1. Nemesis - Alton Towers. The saving grace of the park at the moment. The most consistent ride out there and one of the very best. It will be severely missed next year.

2. Steel Vengeance - Cedar Point. One of the finest rides ever built.

3. Blue Fire - Europa Park. One of my favourite rides and operationally the most perfect attraction. I love it.

4. Untamed - Walibi Holland. A sublime rollercoaster and one I really need to get back to.

5. Helix - Liseberg. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it the last time I rode and its definitely one that gives a beating to your thighs. The ejector air time is something else.

6. Katun - Miribilandia. A near perfect big rollercoaster. Very intense.

7. Wildfire - Kolmarden. I still am amazed that this random Zoo in the middle of Sweden has one of the finest rides in Europe. It stick outs like a sore thumb, but it must be one of the easiest RMC's to re-ride in the world.

8. Wodan - Europa Park. This one just grows and grows. Remarkably consistent and always deliver a fantastic ride.

9. Alpina Blitz - Nigloland. A fantastic ride and severely under-talked about. A really great ride.

10. Taron - This had to make it in there, I find it one of the most exhilarating non looping coasters in the world.

Hopefully, with the pandemic pretty much done, there will be a lot more new parks and places visited in 2023. Onwards and upwards!

Matt 236 · October 30, 2022

Massive shake up time for my top 10’s

Coasters:

1/ Steel Vengeance

2/ Veloci-coaster (IOA)

3/ Zadra

4/ Mako

5/ Iron Gwazi

6/ Taron

7/ Oziris

8/ Hyperion

9/ Nemesis

10/ Wodan

Dark Rides:

1/ Tower Of Terror (WDW HS)

2/ Rise Of The Resistance (WDW HS)

3/ Forbidden Journey

4/ Symbolica

5/ Amazing Adventures Of Spiderman

6/ Pirates Of The Caribbean (DLRP)

7/ Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

8/ Avatar Flight Of Passage

9/ Fata Morgana (Efteling)

10/ Dinosaur

Water Rides:

1/ Chiapas

2/ Popeye IOA

3/ Splash Mountain

4/ JP River Adventure

5/ River Quest

6/ De Vlieglande Hollander

7/ Fjord Rafting

8/ Tidal Wave

9/ Kali River Rapids

10/ Journey To Atlantis

Parks:

1/ Europa Park

2/ Universal Orlando

3/ Cedar Point

4/ Animal Kingdom

5/ Phantasialand

6/ Energylandia

7/ Hollywood Studios

8/ Epcot

9/ Efteling

10/ Alton Towers

Martin Doyle · October 30, 2022

Post Florida top 10s

Coasters

1. Steel Vengeance

2. Velocicoaster

3. Iron Gwazi

4. Zadra

5. Untamed

6. Taron

7. Mako

8. Millennium Force

9. Hagrid

10. Maverick

Dark rides

1. Tower Of Terror (Florida)

2. Rise Of The Resistance

3. Harry Potter And The Forbidden Journey

4. Amazing Adventures Of Spiderman

5. Harry Potter And The Escape From Gringotts

6. Avatar Flight Of Passage

7. Tower Of Terror (Paris)

8. Symbolica

9. Phantom Manor

10. Pirates Of The Caribbean (Paris)

Water Rides

1. Valhalla (in its prime!! Not even top 10 today)

2. Splash Mountain

3. Chiapas

4. Popeye

5. Dudley Do Rights Ripsaw falls

6. Jurassic Park River Adventure

7. Journey To Atlantis

8. Infinity Falls

9. River Quest

10. Vliegende Hollander

Parks.

1. Cedar Point

2. Universal Orlando

3. Phantasialand

4. WDW (all four combined)

5. Europa Park

6. Energylandia

7. Efteling

8. Seaworld Orlando

9. Liseberg

10. Busch Gardens Tampa

Matt 236 · November 3, 2022

I miss Orlando already.

Top 10 Theme Park Restaurants:

1/ Mythos-Islands Of Adventure

2/ Via Napoli-Epcot

3/ Yak & Yeti-AnimalKingdom

4/ Rutmoores Tavern- Phantasialand

5/ Polle’s Kitchen- Efteling

6/ Lombards- Universal Studios

7/ Toothsome’s Emporium, Universal Orlando

8/ Silver Lake Saloon, Europa

9/ Lisebergbanen Restaurant, Liseberg

10/ Mel’s Diner, Paultons

Orlando blog coming up.

Cal · November 20, 2022

Never really done one of these so here goes. I'm also potentially going to go to energylandia next month so will likely change then.

1) Kondaa

2) Nemesis

3) Taron

4) Wodan

5) Kumba

6) Silver Star

7) Stealth

8 Oblivion

9) Revenge of the mummy

10) Manta

Trooper Looper · November 28, 2022

I've not done too many rides in my life, but here's my top 10 in general speaking, and I'll explain why.

10) Tomb Blaster

If this was its pre 2020 vetsion, it wouldn't even be a top 35, but since then, I think it's a wonderful experience with a good narrative and some great lighting and scenes.

9) Vampire

Yeah, it's a bit rough, but it's interaction with the terrain and the unique swinging trains. The queue and station do a phenomenal job building up the tension to the eventual ride experience. Easily the best themed in the UK.

8) Hex, The Legend Of The Towers

Whilst I may give the actual Madhouse experience to the Huanting, Hex really makes up with it's Incredibly storytelling, lighting, sets, and the audio! It's one of the most immersive and engaging Indoor rides out there, thanks to the story being mostly true. The smell pods are fantastic as well!

7) Spaceship Earth

If I could describe Spaceship Earth with one word, it'd be magical, it has a great concept of showing how the Human race has evolved over time and what our intellect has done to our races benefic. The narrative is really charming as well, and the ride carries some simple, but great effects. Let's not forget how long the ride is, I think it's around a good 14 minutes long. For a Dark Ride, that's Incredible. Really wish they kept more of Epcits original attractions, would've loved to have rode them.

6) Pirates of the Caribbean (Florida)

I've haven't had the chance to go do Disneyland in California Yet, but for now I'm still really grestful to have ridden the one in florida, even though its considered the inferior version. The Queue is really charming and feels quite real. The main ride section has some really great drops, lighting and set pieces for a water ride, especially the Scene where the Pirate ship is attacking the costal forts. Its a must do for me I'd I ever get to go to Magic Kingodn ever again!

5) Revenge of The Mummy

I rememberbeing absolutely terrifiedwhen queuingfor this ride for the first time. This ride is a perfect mix of pure adrenaline fun, and nightmare fuel. The Mummy animatronic at the beginning absolutely scared me when I first saw it from it's realistic movements, thinking it was real. The launch is really good, the layout is really thrilling for an indoor Coaster, and the pyrotechnics in the fake station are a highlight as you can feel the heat coming from those flames! One of the best indoor rides period.

4) Oblivion

While it may be a short ride, it definitely makes up for that Drop. Honestly, still one kf the best drops on any roller coaster out there. The branding and themong make up for a great queueline and really makes you nervous whenever you're queuing up for it. Let's not forget the Fantastic footage of the Lord of Darkness on the queueand station, he's definitely the cherry on the cake and can easily make first timers reconsider when queueing. It's also got one of the best Soundtracks for any coaster and really fits with the late 90s, gritty, Sci fi feel.

3) Duel/The Haunted House

If I had to pick one ride that I'd say was underrated or unappreciated, I'd pick this one. Duel or The Haunted House is easily one of the most charming, and immersive dark rides in the UK. Yeah, it's not looked great for a while, but the props and scenes are still some of the best made ever. The ride system is also a one of a kind and has a phenomenal throughput. I can only imagine how amazing the ride was when it was the Haunted House, especially in its first few years. I don't really touch the blasters, I mostly just enjoy the screen and take it in which is easily the battery experience. Statistics wise, it's not all that impressive as a ride, but it has such character snd some really unique ideas that I think it makes up for easily. It also has a great indoor queue, well at least before the 2021 change. It had abroom that was slanted to it was meant to look normal, giving off a very odd and unique sensation when in there. Let's hope this refurb keeps it's charm and uniqueness.

2) Apocalypse (Rest in Peace)

Boy, what a great Drop tower this was. This was one of the few rides left that still gave me that stomach Drop feel. The Drop was really forceful, the theeming was really good and made you feel anxious when queueing inside the main drop tower chamber, watching the cars go up and fall back down as high speeds. This was one of the few rides I was still scared to go one even though I loved it. You will be missed Apocalypse.

1) Nemesis

Oh, where to begin. One of the most intimidating, Intense, and Well themed coasters in the world. The soundtrack is beyond words and really makes the area around the ride feel that much better. The way the Coaster interacts with the terrain is incredible, and some of the elements on the ride are also some of the best on any Inverted Roller Coaster. The monster in the pit is one of the best themed stations on the outside and really does stick with you after many years. One of the best and unique rides ever made, when it reopens, go ride it! You won't regret it!

*JoshC.* · November 28, 2022

With my year now over in terms of new rides (and probably parks in general), here's my Top 10% of coasters, with new-for-2022 ones in bold:

1	Taron	Phantasialand
2	Taiga	Linnanmäki
3	Untamed	Walibi Holland
4	Skyrush	Hersheypark
5	Helix	Liseberg
6	Oz'Iris	Parc Asterix
7	Balder	Liseberg
8	Lost Gravity	Walibi Holland
9	Der Schwur des Kärnan	Hansa Park
10	Phoenix	Knoebels
11	Jersey Devil Coaster	Six Flags Great Adventure
12	Nemesis	Alton Towers
13	Joris en de Draak	Efteling
14	Colossos - Kampf der Giganten	Heide Park
15	Goliath	Walibi Holland
16	Kingda Ka	Six Flags Great Adventure
17	Candymonium	Hersheypark
18	El Toro (SFGAd)	Six Flags Great Adventure
19	Troy	Toverland
20	Black Mamba	Phantasialand
21	Hyperion	Energylandia
22	Lech Coaster	Legendia
23	Lisebergbanan	Liseberg
24	Van Helsing's Factory	Movie Park Germany
25	Pulsar	Walibi Belgium
26	Nitro (SFGAd)	Six Flags Great Adventure
27	The Swarm	Thorpe Park
28	Nemesis Inferno	Thorpe Park
29	Colorado Adventure	Phantasialand

Notable new additions missing out here are Batman The Ride, SFGAd (#32), Ride to Happiness (#41) and FLY (#43).

New rides for me which disappointed were Flucht von Novgorod, Storm Runner, Great Bear and Talon.

New rides which surprised me, but aren't really in the upper echelons of the count, were Lightning Racer, Krake and Steel Force.

Cal · December 8, 2022

Little update after a trip to energylandias winter kingdom event, I'll likely write a little report up

1) Kondaa

2) Nemesis

3) Zadra

4) Taron

5) Hyperion

6) Wodan

7) Kumba

8) Silver Star

9) Stealth

10) Oblivion

Mark9 · May 16, 2023

B&M Wing-rider special.

1. Gatekeeper

2. Flug Der Demon

3. Fenix

4. Mandrill Mayhem

5. The Swarm

6. Raptor

7. X Flight

Matt 236 · June 3, 2023

It’s time to update my top 10’s again.

Coasters:

1/ Steel Vengeance

2/ Velocicoaster

3/ Zadra

4/ Toutatis

5/ Mako

6/ Iron Gwazi

7/ Taron

8/ Oziris

9/ Nemesis mk1

10/ Hyperion

European Parks:

1/ Europa Park

2/ Phantasialand

3/ Energylandia

4/ Disneyland Paris

5/ Parc Asterix

6/ Alton Towers

7/ Toverland

8/ Liseberg

9/ Efteling

10/ Tivoli Gardens

And now. Theme park hotels.

1/ Ling Bao, Phantasialand

2/ Grand Curiosa Hotel, Liseberg

3/ Efteling hotel, Efteling

4/ Plopsaland Hotel, Plopsaland

5/ Newport Bay, Disneyland Paris

6/ Cite Suspendue, Parc Asterix

7/ Splash Landings Hotel, Alton Towers

8/ Legoland Hotel, Legoland Windsor

9/ El Paso, Port Aventura

10/ Shark hotel, Thorpe Park

Top 10’s a personal preference and based on numerous circumstances and things on the day.

Matt N · June 25, 2023

Following my recent trip to Florida, my top 10 has changed quite a bit. The composition of this new list did take a fair amount of deliberation, and even now, I should add that I'm still slightly undecided on some of the placements.

This trip presented me with some very interesting conundrums in terms of coaster ranking, as in many cases, I was comparing incredibly different types of ride that were all truly, truly excellent in their own way. It really did test me, and I often second guessed the relative placements of certain rides. Nonetheless, I think I've managed to come up with a final post-Florida ranking.

For clarity, I gained 8 new roller coaster credits during my trip, taking my total coaster count to 99. Of the new coasters I rode, 4 of these made my top 10 and 10/10 tier (which I should add are now one and the same; my 10/10 tier currently encompasses ranking spots 1-10), and the other "new addition" to my 10/10 tier is a previously ridden coaster that exceeded my previous memories of it.

Some of the placements may seem strange. I'm more than happy to answer questions on any placements you find questionable, but I should state that at a basic level, my favourite coasters are rides that have the perfect blend of fun, thrills and rerideability. Out and out intensity is not everything for me; it's the fun factor and rerideability that ultimately matters. There are certainly tangible things that typically correlate with me ranking a coaster highly (for instance, most rides in this list have notable airtime moments to at least a certain extent), but the most important thing for me is a good blend of fun, thrills and rerideability, and I think one entry to my top 10 in particular taught me that the qualities of "what I like in a coaster" are perhaps less tangible than I had previously thought they were.

So, without further ado, my current top 10 is as follows... (new entries are in italics, relocated coasters are underlined)

Mako - SeaWorld Orlando: Even 7 years after my first ride, this coaster still reigns supreme for me, and my recent revisit to SeaWorld (where I had 5 rides on it) reinforced that! The sustained airtime is absolutely biblical (particularly in moments like the first drop, first airtime hill and speed hill), the sense of speed is wonderful, it's blissfully smooth, and overall, it's just such a fun, thrilling and rerideable coaster that I could (and indeed tried my darnedest to) sit on all day! I truly love this ride, and on my recent revisit to SeaWorld, it didn't disappoint! 10/10
Jurassic World VelociCoaster - Islands of Adventure: It may not quite be #1, but my goodness was it close, and VelociCoaster would certainly be a worthy contender for the top spot! There is so much that this ride does well; it packs a great sense of speed throughout, with the second section in particular feeling ridiculously fast, there are quite a few sublime moments of ejector airtime that really whip you out of the seat, there are some truly brilliant inversions, and overall, it's just a truly stunning, spectacular coaster, in my view! In terms of some specific highlights; it's hard to pick from the wonderful array of sensations on offer. But if I had to choose a few, the second launch is absolutely obscene, packing a euphoric thrill like few other rides I've ever experienced, the top hat is sublime, packing some breathtaking ejector airtime on the back in particular, and the mosasaurus roll is an absolutely mind-blowing inversion that throws you out of the seat with some sublime sustained negative g-forces and ensures that you fly into the final brakes blown away! Overall, VelociCoaster is a truly stunning coaster, in my opinion; its blend of stunning airtime, impactful elements, fun, comfort and rerideability certainly make it a firm favourite of mine! 10/10
Silver Star - Europa Park: I had quite low expectations for this coaster given that it's not overly well liked, but I have to say that I was blown away; I absolutely adored this coaster! It has wonderful sustained airtime, it's smooth and comfortable, it has an awesome sense of speed, the ending is absolutely brilliant, packing some phenomenal ejector airtime (particularly the MCBR exit), and overall, this is a stunning coaster that I absolutely loved! I did rank this below Mako of the two B&M Hypers I've ridden due to my feeling that its airtime, while stunning, never has quite the same impact as some of Mako's strongest moments, in my view, and while smooth in its own right, it isn't quite as blissfully smooth as Mako. I also felt it to be slightly less consistent, as I did have 1 or 2 slightly weaker rides on it during my trip to Europa. Nonetheless, Silver Star is a stunning coaster with phenomenal sustained airtime, and I love how it is incredibly rerideable and keeps the thrills going right to the end with that awesome post-MCBR section! 10/10
Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure - Islands of Adventure: Dismiss this as a “family” coaster all you want, but I think such quick dismissal would be a huge mistake, because this ride is phenomenal, in my view! Of the rides in my top 10, I’ll admit that this one probably has the least tangible reason to be there. However, the key reason why Hagrid’s ranks so highly for me is that purely and simply, it is a phenomenally, impeccably fun roller coaster! In terms of some specifics, the low-to-the-ground turns were a lot more thrilling than I expected and the launches were surprisingly punchy and great fun, but unlike many coasters, my love of Hagrid’s is for a much broader reason than any specific features of the ride layout. It is just so, so fun, and the ride will always leave you laughing hysterically and smiling on the final brake run, and that for me is really important. Riding Hagrid’s taught me a crucial lesson about my taste in coasters; it taught me that a coaster does not necessarily need greatness in the form of tangible elements for me to love it, and that fundamentally, all a coaster needs to be is fun. Hagrid’s is not the most intense ride by any means, but if you want pure fun, I’d struggle to recommend many better coasters than this one! 10/10
Wodan Timbur Coaster - Europa Park: Wodan strikes the perfect balance between pure demented insanity and amazing fun factor and rerideability, in my view! It’s an absolutely relentless coaster, with phenomenal pacing right to the end, and it has quite a few really surprising pops of ejector airtime, including an excellent first drop, but it’s also a really smooth and comfortable wooden coaster, and it just manages to be a ridiculous amount of fun! Overall, Wodan is such a fast, airtime-filled and fun coaster that I absolutely loved on my visit to Europa Park! 10/10
Iron Gwazi - Busch Gardens Tampa: This ride is phenomenal! In terms of some key strengths, it’s absolutely relentless in pacing and has some of the strongest ejector airtime I’ve ever experienced, and some of the big hitters in the layout like the first drop, outerbanked turn, death roll and wave turn are truly sensational elements that are right up there with the best, in my opinion! The first drop in particular is insane; whipping you far out of the seat with ejector airtime for a surprisingly sustained period of time never gets old! However, my reason for not ranking this coaster higher is that it’s almost a little… much at times. Iron Gwazi is not a rough coaster by any stretch, but it’s certainly fierce in places, and I did find the final few elements in particular to be toeing the line in terms of what I can handle from a violence and intensity standpoint. It does quite a bit of what I’d refer to as “snapping”, where it changes direction and exerts high forces very rapidly, and while this looks good on paper and probably looks good in NoLimits or whatever, it doesn’t ride quite so well in practice for me, and I did find Iron Gwazi ever so slightly uncomfortable in those snappier portions of the layout. If I’m being picky, I also wasn’t the biggest lover of the trains (and these could well have contributed to the slight discomfort I experienced in areas), although they’re admittedly far from the worst trains I’ve ever sat in. Nevertheless, these are minor niggles rather than total deal breakers for me, and the high points of the ride are high enough for me to override them to a certain extent; while I perhaps didn’t love Iron Gwazi quite as much as I’d hoped to for the aforementioned reasons, it’s still a phenomenal ride that I thought very highly of! 10/10
SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa: I had remembered liking this ride back in 2016, but my reride in 2023 was even better than I’d previously remembered! I love a B&M Dive Coaster, and this was a fantastic one! The sustained airtime over both drops was absolutely phenomenal, and the sheer size of them produced a brilliant sensation of speed throughout the ride! You typically think of Dive Coasters for their initial vertical drop, but interestingly, I actually thought that the second vertical drop on SheiKra delivered just as much as the first if not more! Overall, SheiKra was phenomenal, and a really pleasant surprise; I often said that I preferred Oblivion, but I’d now say that I comfortably prefer SheiKra, as I do feel that the added height and length really add something to it! 10/10
Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach: Icon is often maligned, but I absolutely love it, personally! Yes, the ride is not the most intense coaster by any means, but I just find it incredibly good fun! There’s some excellent ejector airtime on there, with some particular highlight moments being the top hat, the drop down into the second launch and one incredibly fun drop during the second half of the layout! I also think that the ride is fast-paced and thrilling throughout, and it’s also incredibly smooth and comfortable, with the overhead lap bars ensuring that the inversions in particular are negotiated comfortably in a way that ensures maximum floaty negatives! Overall, I love Icon for its fun airtime, fast pace, fun twists and turns and overall rerideability; it’s just such a wonderfully fun coaster, in my opinion! 10/10
Ice Breaker - SeaWorld Orlando: I had pretty low expectations for Ice Breaker, as its reviews are generally middling to negative, but I have to say that it massively exceeded expectations for me; it was a phenomenal little ride that I absolutely loved! I should say that the much-maligned “comfort collars” have been removed, so I experienced the ride without them, but I found it to be fantastic, with a fun and punchy swing launch, a backwards spike with some brilliant floater airtime, some surprisingly excellent pops of ejector airtime in places, some fun twists and turns, and a smooth and fun ride experience throughout! The trains are a little tight to get into and out of, but I found the restraints unobtrusive when I was sat down enjoying the ride, so I didn’t find them to be an issue overall. All in all, I thought Ice Breaker was a fantastic ride that hugely exceeded my expectations; it may not have quite been my favourite coaster I rode in Florida, but I dare say that coaster-wise, it was possibly the sleeper hit of the trip in terms of how much it exceeded my expectations! I expected very little, but I ended up absolutely loving the ride, personally! 10/10
Wicker Man - Alton Towers: It may now only be in my top 10 by the skin of its teeth, but Wicker Man is a fantastic GCI coaster that I absolutely love! It may not look like much on paper, but I find it to be an enormously fun and rerideable coaster that never fails to put a huge smile on my face! I find it to be a really fast-paced coaster with some really fun twists and turns and some surprising pops of airtime, with some particular favourite elements of mine being the initial s-bend drop, where you gain brilliant speed incredibly quickly, and the big drop out of the high u-turn and following airtime hill, with both elements providing some excellent airtime that really whips you out of the seat! Overall, I find Wicker Man a hugely fun and rerideable wooden coaster with awesome airtime, twists and pacing, and I think it’s a ride that is definitely far more than the sum of its parts, personally! 10/10

In terms of other notable new Florida additions, the only major new coaster addition I can think of that is missing is Pipeline: The Surf Coaster, which I found to be a big disappointment and is ranked at #52 out of 99.

Overall, I thought that this trip was brilliant, personally!

Matt N · August 3, 2023

On 6/25/2023 at 8:31 PM, Matt N said:

Following my recent trip to Florida, my top 10 has changed quite a bit. The composition of this new list did take a fair amount of deliberation, and even now, I should add that I'm still slightly undecided on some of the placements.

This trip presented me with some very interesting conundrums in terms of coaster ranking, as in many cases, I was comparing incredibly different types of ride that were all truly, truly excellent in their own way. It really did test me, and I often second guessed the relative placements of certain rides. Nonetheless, I think I've managed to come up with a final post-Florida ranking.

For clarity, I gained 8 new roller coaster credits during my trip, taking my total coaster count to 99. Of the new coasters I rode, 4 of these made my top 10 and 10/10 tier (which I should add are now one and the same; my 10/10 tier currently encompasses ranking spots 1-10), and the other "new addition" to my 10/10 tier is a previously ridden coaster that exceeded my previous memories of it.

Some of the placements may seem strange. I'm more than happy to answer questions on any placements you find questionable, but I should state that at a basic level, my favourite coasters are rides that have the perfect blend of fun, thrills and rerideability. Out and out intensity is not everything for me; it's the fun factor and rerideability that ultimately matters. There are certainly tangible things that typically correlate with me ranking a coaster highly (for instance, most rides in this list have notable airtime moments to at least a certain extent), but the most important thing for me is a good blend of fun, thrills and rerideability, and I think one entry to my top 10 in particular taught me that the qualities of "what I like in a coaster" are perhaps less tangible than I had previously thought they were.

So, without further ado, my current top 10 is as follows... (new entries are in italics, relocated coasters are underlined)

Mako - SeaWorld Orlando: Even 7 years after my first ride, this coaster still reigns supreme for me, and my recent revisit to SeaWorld (where I had 5 rides on it) reinforced that! The sustained airtime is absolutely biblical (particularly in moments like the first drop, first airtime hill and speed hill), the sense of speed is wonderful, it's blissfully smooth, and overall, it's just such a fun, thrilling and rerideable coaster that I could (and indeed tried my darnedest to) sit on all day! I truly love this ride, and on my recent revisit to SeaWorld, it didn't disappoint! 10/10

Jurassic World VelociCoaster - Islands of Adventure: It may not quite be #1, but my goodness was it close, and VelociCoaster would certainly be a worthy contender for the top spot! There is so much that this ride does well; it packs a great sense of speed throughout, with the second section in particular feeling ridiculously fast, there are quite a few sublime moments of ejector airtime that really whip you out of the seat, there are some truly brilliant inversions, and overall, it's just a truly stunning, spectacular coaster, in my view! In terms of some specific highlights; it's hard to pick from the wonderful array of sensations on offer. But if I had to choose a few, the second launch is absolutely obscene, packing a euphoric thrill like few other rides I've ever experienced, the top hat is sublime, packing some breathtaking ejector airtime on the back in particular, and the mosasaurus roll is an absolutely mind-blowing inversion that throws you out of the seat with some sublime sustained negative g-forces and ensures that you fly into the final brakes blown away! Overall, VelociCoaster is a truly stunning coaster, in my opinion; its blend of stunning airtime, impactful elements, fun, comfort and rerideability certainly make it a firm favourite of mine! 10/10

Silver Star - Europa Park: I had quite low expectations for this coaster given that it's not overly well liked, but I have to say that I was blown away; I absolutely adored this coaster! It has wonderful sustained airtime, it's smooth and comfortable, it has an awesome sense of speed, the ending is absolutely brilliant, packing some phenomenal ejector airtime (particularly the MCBR exit), and overall, this is a stunning coaster that I absolutely loved! I did rank this below Mako of the two B&M Hypers I've ridden due to my feeling that its airtime, while stunning, never has quite the same impact as some of Mako's strongest moments, in my view, and while smooth in its own right, it isn't quite as blissfully smooth as Mako. I also felt it to be slightly less consistent, as I did have 1 or 2 slightly weaker rides on it during my trip to Europa. Nonetheless, Silver Star is a stunning coaster with phenomenal sustained airtime, and I love how it is incredibly rerideable and keeps the thrills going right to the end with that awesome post-MCBR section! 10/10

Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure - Islands of Adventure: Dismiss this as a “family” coaster all you want, but I think such quick dismissal would be a huge mistake, because this ride is phenomenal, in my view! Of the rides in my top 10, I’ll admit that this one probably has the least tangible reason to be there. However, the key reason why Hagrid’s ranks so highly for me is that purely and simply, it is a phenomenally, impeccably fun roller coaster! In terms of some specifics, the low-to-the-ground turns were a lot more thrilling than I expected and the launches were surprisingly punchy and great fun, but unlike many coasters, my love of Hagrid’s is for a much broader reason than any specific features of the ride layout. It is just so, so fun, and the ride will always leave you laughing hysterically and smiling on the final brake run, and that for me is really important. Riding Hagrid’s taught me a crucial lesson about my taste in coasters; it taught me that a coaster does not necessarily need greatness in the form of tangible elements for me to love it, and that fundamentally, all a coaster needs to be is fun. Hagrid’s is not the most intense ride by any means, but if you want pure fun, I’d struggle to recommend many better coasters than this one! 10/10

Wodan Timbur Coaster - Europa Park: Wodan strikes the perfect balance between pure demented insanity and amazing fun factor and rerideability, in my view! It’s an absolutely relentless coaster, with phenomenal pacing right to the end, and it has quite a few really surprising pops of ejector airtime, including an excellent first drop, but it’s also a really smooth and comfortable wooden coaster, and it just manages to be a ridiculous amount of fun! Overall, Wodan is such a fast, airtime-filled and fun coaster that I absolutely loved on my visit to Europa Park! 10/10

Iron Gwazi - Busch Gardens Tampa: This ride is phenomenal! In terms of some key strengths, it’s absolutely relentless in pacing and has some of the strongest ejector airtime I’ve ever experienced, and some of the big hitters in the layout like the first drop, outerbanked turn, death roll and wave turn are truly sensational elements that are right up there with the best, in my opinion! The first drop in particular is insane; whipping you far out of the seat with ejector airtime for a surprisingly sustained period of time never gets old! However, my reason for not ranking this coaster higher is that it’s almost a little… much at times. Iron Gwazi is not a rough coaster by any stretch, but it’s certainly fierce in places, and I did find the final few elements in particular to be toeing the line in terms of what I can handle from a violence and intensity standpoint. It does quite a bit of what I’d refer to as “snapping”, where it changes direction and exerts high forces very rapidly, and while this looks good on paper and probably looks good in NoLimits or whatever, it doesn’t ride quite so well in practice for me, and I did find Iron Gwazi ever so slightly uncomfortable in those snappier portions of the layout. If I’m being picky, I also wasn’t the biggest lover of the trains (and these could well have contributed to the slight discomfort I experienced in areas), although they’re admittedly far from the worst trains I’ve ever sat in. Nevertheless, these are minor niggles rather than total deal breakers for me, and the high points of the ride are high enough for me to override them to a certain extent; while I perhaps didn’t love Iron Gwazi quite as much as I’d hoped to for the aforementioned reasons, it’s still a phenomenal ride that I thought very highly of! 10/10

SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa: I had remembered liking this ride back in 2016, but my reride in 2023 was even better than I’d previously remembered! I love a B&M Dive Coaster, and this was a fantastic one! The sustained airtime over both drops was absolutely phenomenal, and the sheer size of them produced a brilliant sensation of speed throughout the ride! You typically think of Dive Coasters for their initial vertical drop, but interestingly, I actually thought that the second vertical drop on SheiKra delivered just as much as the first if not more! Overall, SheiKra was phenomenal, and a really pleasant surprise; I often said that I preferred Oblivion, but I’d now say that I comfortably prefer SheiKra, as I do feel that the added height and length really add something to it! 10/10

Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach: Icon is often maligned, but I absolutely love it, personally! Yes, the ride is not the most intense coaster by any means, but I just find it incredibly good fun! There’s some excellent ejector airtime on there, with some particular highlight moments being the top hat, the drop down into the second launch and one incredibly fun drop during the second half of the layout! I also think that the ride is fast-paced and thrilling throughout, and it’s also incredibly smooth and comfortable, with the overhead lap bars ensuring that the inversions in particular are negotiated comfortably in a way that ensures maximum floaty negatives! Overall, I love Icon for its fun airtime, fast pace, fun twists and turns and overall rerideability; it’s just such a wonderfully fun coaster, in my opinion! 10/10

Ice Breaker - SeaWorld Orlando: I had pretty low expectations for Ice Breaker, as its reviews are generally middling to negative, but I have to say that it massively exceeded expectations for me; it was a phenomenal little ride that I absolutely loved! I should say that the much-maligned “comfort collars” have been removed, so I experienced the ride without them, but I found it to be fantastic, with a fun and punchy swing launch, a backwards spike with some brilliant floater airtime, some surprisingly excellent pops of ejector airtime in places, some fun twists and turns, and a smooth and fun ride experience throughout! The trains are a little tight to get into and out of, but I found the restraints unobtrusive when I was sat down enjoying the ride, so I didn’t find them to be an issue overall. All in all, I thought Ice Breaker was a fantastic ride that hugely exceeded my expectations; it may not have quite been my favourite coaster I rode in Florida, but I dare say that coaster-wise, it was possibly the sleeper hit of the trip in terms of how much it exceeded my expectations! I expected very little, but I ended up absolutely loving the ride, personally! 10/10

Wicker Man - Alton Towers: It may now only be in my top 10 by the skin of its teeth, but Wicker Man is a fantastic GCI coaster that I absolutely love! It may not look like much on paper, but I find it to be an enormously fun and rerideable coaster that never fails to put a huge smile on my face! I find it to be a really fast-paced coaster with some really fun twists and turns and some surprising pops of airtime, with some particular favourite elements of mine being the initial s-bend drop, where you gain brilliant speed incredibly quickly, and the big drop out of the high u-turn and following airtime hill, with both elements providing some excellent airtime that really whips you out of the seat! Overall, I find Wicker Man a hugely fun and rerideable wooden coaster with awesome airtime, twists and pacing, and I think it’s a ride that is definitely far more than the sum of its parts, personally! 10/10

In terms of other notable new Florida additions, the only major new coaster addition I can think of that is missing is Pipeline: The Surf Coaster, which I found to be a big disappointment and is ranked at #52 out of 99.

Overall, I thought that this trip was brilliant, personally!

I realise that I haven't posted a top 30 in a while, as I only did a top 10 with descriptions when I initially got back from Florida. My current top 30 is as follows:

Mako - SeaWorld Orlando (10/10)
Jurassic World VelociCoaster - Islands of Adventure (10/10)
Silver Star - Europa Park (10/10)
Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure - Islands of Adventure (10/10)
Wodan Timbur Coaster - Europa Park (10/10)
Iron Gwazi - Busch Gardens Tampa (10/10)
SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa (10/10)
Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach (10/10)
Ice Breaker - SeaWorld Orlando (10/10)
Wicker Man - Alton Towers (10/10)
Oblivion - Alton Towers (9/10)
Montu - Busch Gardens Tampa (9/10)
Revenge of the Mummy - Universal Studios Florida (9/10)
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts - Universal Studios Florida (9/10)
Blue Fire - Europa Park (9/10)
Mine Blower - Fun Spot Kissimmee (9/10)
Nemesis Inferno - Thorpe Park (9/10)
Rita - Alton Towers (9/10)
Stealth - Thorpe Park (8/10)
Nemesis - Alton Towers (8/10)
CanCan Coaster - Europa Park (8/10)
Kumba - Busch Gardens Tampa (8/10)
Kraken - SeaWorld Orlando (8/10)
Megafobia - Oakwood Theme Park (8/10)
Rock'n'Rollercoaster - Disney's Hollywood Studios (8/10)
Cheetah Hunt - Busch Gardens Tampa (8/10)
Thirteen - Alton Towers (7/10)
The Swarm - Thorpe Park (7/10)
Slinky Dog Dash - Disney's Hollywood Studios (7/10)
Arthur - Europa Park (7/10)

I should also say that after discovering some exact dates and confirmation of early theme park visits, I decided to change my coaster counting methodology and ditch my "enthusiasm start date", increasing my coaster count to 102. I had initially hesitated to rank and rate the added +3 from Disneyland Paris in March 2011, but when I sat down today and properly gave it some thought, I realised that my vague recollections of the rides I did at DLP are better than I had previously given myself credit for, and that my vague recollections of some of the rides I already had ranked and rated weren't much better (mainly a fair amount of Chessington, which I haven't done since 2014), so I decided to have a go at ranking and rating them. I did these coasters many years ago, so my recollections are vague and I can't remember too much in the way of specifics, but thinking about it, I do remember a vague hierarchy of enjoyment, and based on my vague recollections, I have decided upon the following placements and ratings:

My highest-ranked coaster from DLP is Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland Park. This is the ride I remember most, and I remember thinking it was pretty fun at 7 years old; it was the only coaster I rerode, and from vague memory, I rode it 3 times or so. I figure that it was fairly similar to the Florida version that I did in 2019, but I do remember enjoying this version a little bit more at the time than I later enjoyed the Florida version, so I opted for #34/102, one spot higher than the Florida version, and a 7/10 rating. On a fun aside, this ride was of one of only 3 coasters I've ever been evacuated from (with the other two being Wicker Man in 2018 and Hagrid's in 2023)!
My second highest-ranked coaster from DLP is Crush's Coaster at Walt Disney Studios Park. I remember it being pretty good at the time, and possibly more fun than Spinball, but it probably wasn't quite as good as Dragon's Fury, so I opted for #45/102, one spot below Dragon's Fury, and a 6/10 rating.
My lowest-ranked coaster from DLP is RC Racer at Walt Disney Studios Park. I don't remember it being anything especially spectacular even at 7 years old, so I opted for #69/102, just below the similarly unremarkable Atlantica SuperSplash, and a 4/10 rating.

I know it's weird that I suddenly counted these rides as part of my count and ranked them, but I finally felt able to add them to my count and visit log after finding out the exact visit dates and ride counts and such, and discovering that I hadn't ridden anything I didn't vaguely remember riding. I'd never rated and ranked them as I thought that my recollections were too vague for me to rate and rank them, but after giving it some thought, I realised that my recollections were better than I'd previously given myself credit for and that some of the rides I'd already ranked were things I had relatively vague recollections of.

If you're wondering why I only have Big Thunder Mountain from Disneyland Park and Crush's Coaster and RC Racer from Walt Disney Studios Park:

I wasn't tall enough to ride Space Mountain or Indiana Jones.
I was tall enough to ride Rock'n'Rollercoaster, but I refused to ride it because someone from primary school told me it would give me tummyache...
I have no memory of ever having ridden Casey Jr, and I found no evidence to the contrary, so it's not counted.

If you'd like to view my full, exhaustive ranking, here it is: https://captaincoaster.com/en/tops/192

Matt N · September 19, 2023

On 8/3/2023 at 9:31 AM, Matt N said:

I realise that I haven't posted a top 30 in a while, as I only did a top 10 with descriptions when I initially got back from Florida. My current top 30 is as follows:

Mako - SeaWorld Orlando (10/10)

Jurassic World VelociCoaster - Islands of Adventure (10/10)

Silver Star - Europa Park (10/10)

Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure - Islands of Adventure (10/10)

Wodan Timbur Coaster - Europa Park (10/10)

Iron Gwazi - Busch Gardens Tampa (10/10)

SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa (10/10)

Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach (10/10)

Ice Breaker - SeaWorld Orlando (10/10)

Wicker Man - Alton Towers (10/10)

Oblivion - Alton Towers (9/10)

Montu - Busch Gardens Tampa (9/10)

Revenge of the Mummy - Universal Studios Florida (9/10)

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts - Universal Studios Florida (9/10)

Blue Fire - Europa Park (9/10)

Mine Blower - Fun Spot Kissimmee (9/10)

Nemesis Inferno - Thorpe Park (9/10)

Rita - Alton Towers (9/10)

Stealth - Thorpe Park (8/10)

Nemesis - Alton Towers (8/10)

CanCan Coaster - Europa Park (8/10)

Kumba - Busch Gardens Tampa (8/10)

Kraken - SeaWorld Orlando (8/10)

Megafobia - Oakwood Theme Park (8/10)

Rock'n'Rollercoaster - Disney's Hollywood Studios (8/10)

Cheetah Hunt - Busch Gardens Tampa (8/10)

Thirteen - Alton Towers (7/10)

The Swarm - Thorpe Park (7/10)

Slinky Dog Dash - Disney's Hollywood Studios (7/10)

Arthur - Europa Park (7/10)

I should also say that after discovering some exact dates and confirmation of early theme park visits, I decided to change my coaster counting methodology and ditch my "enthusiasm start date", increasing my coaster count to 102. I had initially hesitated to rank and rate the added +3 from Disneyland Paris in March 2011, but when I sat down today and properly gave it some thought, I realised that my vague recollections of the rides I did at DLP are better than I had previously given myself credit for, and that my vague recollections of some of the rides I already had ranked and rated weren't much better (mainly a fair amount of Chessington, which I haven't done since 2014), so I decided to have a go at ranking and rating them. I did these coasters many years ago, so my recollections are vague and I can't remember too much in the way of specifics, but thinking about it, I do remember a vague hierarchy of enjoyment, and based on my vague recollections, I have decided upon the following placements and ratings:

My highest-ranked coaster from DLP is Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland Park. This is the ride I remember most, and I remember thinking it was pretty fun at 7 years old; it was the only coaster I rerode, and from vague memory, I rode it 3 times or so. I figure that it was fairly similar to the Florida version that I did in 2019, but I do remember enjoying this version a little bit more at the time than I later enjoyed the Florida version, so I opted for #34/102, one spot higher than the Florida version, and a 7/10 rating. On a fun aside, this ride was of one of only 3 coasters I've ever been evacuated from (with the other two being Wicker Man in 2018 and Hagrid's in 2023)!

My second highest-ranked coaster from DLP is Crush's Coaster at Walt Disney Studios Park. I remember it being pretty good at the time, and possibly more fun than Spinball, but it probably wasn't quite as good as Dragon's Fury, so I opted for #45/102, one spot below Dragon's Fury, and a 6/10 rating.

My lowest-ranked coaster from DLP is RC Racer at Walt Disney Studios Park. I don't remember it being anything especially spectacular even at 7 years old, so I opted for #69/102, just below the similarly unremarkable Atlantica SuperSplash, and a 4/10 rating.

I know it's weird that I suddenly counted these rides as part of my count and ranked them, but I finally felt able to add them to my count and visit log after finding out the exact visit dates and ride counts and such, and discovering that I hadn't ridden anything I didn't vaguely remember riding. I'd never rated and ranked them as I thought that my recollections were too vague for me to rate and rank them, but after giving it some thought, I realised that my recollections were better than I'd previously given myself credit for and that some of the rides I'd already ranked were things I had relatively vague recollections of.

If you're wondering why I only have Big Thunder Mountain from Disneyland Park and Crush's Coaster and RC Racer from Walt Disney Studios Park:

I wasn't tall enough to ride Space Mountain or Indiana Jones.

I was tall enough to ride Rock'n'Rollercoaster, but I refused to ride it because someone from primary school told me it would give me tummyache...

I have no memory of ever having ridden Casey Jr, and I found no evidence to the contrary, so it's not counted.

If you'd like to view my full, exhaustive ranking, here it is: https://captaincoaster.com/en/tops/192

With my year now having ended, I figure that I should update my top 30 again, as I have visited Flamingo Land, Brean Theme Park, Thorpe Park and Chessington since I last posted my list. This resulted in 1 new addition to the top 30 and numerous reshuffled entries, as well as my coaster count increasing to 111.

Following some consideration, my end of year top 30 is as follows (for some idea of proportional ranking, I've also put the minimum thresholds for my top 10% and top 25% next to their respective rankings):

Mako - SeaWorld Orlando (10/10)
Jurassic World VelociCoaster - Universal's Islands of Adventure (10/10)
Silver Star - Europa Park (10/10)
Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure - Universal's Islands of Adventure (10/10)
Iron Gwazi - Busch Gardens Tampa (10/10)
Wodan Timbur Coaster - Europa Park (10/10)
SheiKra - Busch Gardens Tampa (10/10)
Icon - Blackpool Pleasure Beach (10/10)
Ice Breaker - SeaWorld Orlando (10/10)
Wicker Man - Alton Towers (10/10)
Oblivion - Alton Towers (9/10) (Minimum threshold for top 10%)
Stealth - Thorpe Park (9/10)
Montu - Busch Gardens Tampa (9/10)
Revenge of the Mummy - Universal Studios Florida (9/10)
Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts - Universal Studios Florida (9/10)
Blue Fire - Europa Park (9/10)
Nemesis Inferno - Thorpe Park (9/10)
Nemesis - Alton Towers (9/10)
Mine Blower - Fun Spot Kissimmee (9/10)
Rita - Alton Towers (8/10)
CanCan Coaster - Europa Park (8/10)
Sik - Flamingo Land (8/10)
Kumba - Busch Gardens Tampa (8/10)
Kraken - SeaWorld Orlando (8/10)
Megafobia - Oakwood Theme Park (8/10)
Rock'n'Rollercoaster - Disney's Hollywood Studios (8/10)
Cheetah Hunt - Busch Gardens Tampa (8/10) (Minimum threshold for top 25%)
Thirteen - Alton Towers (8/10)
The Swarm - Thorpe Park (7/10)
Slinky Dog Dash - Disney's Hollywood Studios (7/10)

Of the 17 new coasters I rode this year, 4 made my top 10% and 5 made my top 25%, which I wouldn't consider a bad hit rate at all, personally! If you're interested, here's how I rank the 17 new coasters I did this year (the top 5 are kind of self-explanatory, as they're in the list above, but I thought some might find the breakdown of the other 12 interesting):

Jurassic World VelociCoaster - Universal's Islands of Adventure (10/10, #2/111)
Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure - Universal's Islands of Adventure (10/10, #4/111)
Iron Gwazi - Busch Gardens Tampa (10/10, #5/111)
Ice Breaker - SeaWorld Orlando (10/10, #9/111)
Sik - Flamingo Land (8/10, #22/111)
Kumali - Flamingo Land (6/10, #44/111)
Mumbo Jumbo - Flamingo Land (5/10, #58/111)
Pipeline: The Surf Coaster - SeaWorld Orlando (5/10, #60/111)
Mandrill Mayhem - Chessington (5/10, #61/111)
Astro Storm - Brean Theme Park (5/10, #68/111)
Velocity - Flamingo Land (4/10, #78/111)
Scorpion - Busch Gardens Tampa (3/10, #91/111)
Super Grover's Box Car Derby - SeaWorld Orlando (3/10, #93/111)
Magic Mouse - Brean Theme Park (2/10, #100/111)
Bulldog Coaster - Brean Theme Park (2/10, #106/111)
Sand Serpent - Busch Gardens Tampa (2/10, #109/111)
Hero - Flamingo Land (1/10, #111/111)

I must say that I've found this year truly brilliant for coaster riding overall!

Mark9 · October 13, 2023

Seems as that I'm not going anywhere else new this year, its my favourite time of year.. the top ten 2023. And my oh my there's a lot of newness out there.

With Nemesis closed it has reached golden status as my 0.

0. Nemesis - I think this will remain my favourite ride of all time. But as it doesn't exist anymore it wouldn't be fair to rank it against other rides.

1. Steel Vengeance, Cedar Point - Naturally moves up to the top spot. A sheer tour de force of an attraction and I'm looking forward to getting back on it next year. It was the second RMC I'd ever done but with 8 more added to the list, I wonder if it's really as good as I remember.

2. Ride to Happiness. Plopsaland - A revelation of a rollercoaster and one of the most reridable attractions Mack have ever made. I cannot put into words the sheer joy and excitement each ride gave me. It's ease of getting to from London makes it an easy must do for anyone wanting to ride one of the best rides in the world.

3. Toutatis, Parc Asterix. People absolutely fall head over heels for Intamin and I never really have. Juvelen came close but that was a decade ago. No, it was Toutatis the ride that made me fall for this company. That launch section alone with some of the most aggressive air time out there really impressed me and I wanted more. This year I got to ride its close brother Pantheon and whilst good, the theming and story of Toutatis really pushes it all the way to third.

4. Wildcats Revenge, Hershey Park. This was completely out of the blew for me, really unexpected. I did not expect this to be the RMC that I would be placing so high in my top ten. But it was something else. Fantastically designed, well operated, efficient and brilliantly paced. There is not a bad seat on this fantastic ride.

5. Untamed, Walibi Holland. I don't want to be an RMC obsessed toad, but the reality is that RMC do not make bad rides. And Untamed is another excellent example of a well designed, well paced, breath-taking ride. I need to get back over to ride it as I've done several of similar size now and I'd be interested to see if its as good as I remember.

6. Blue Fire, Europa Park. This is a bit of an oddity as there are clearly rides that are better. But for me, an excellent ride is more than the ride experience. Ease of riding, efficiency and operations are equally if not more important. Blue Fire is this ride and to watch it on four trains, running flawlessly is something to behold. Blue Fire is the resurgence of rollercoasters as I think, without its revolutionary train, we would not see the outstanding Intamins, Vekomas and (hopefully) Zamperlas we are seeing today.

7. El Toro, Six Flags Great Adventure. I wouldn't say I completely enjoyed El Toro. Some of the roughness in there is borderline unridable. But, and this is a big but, I swear to god El Toro is one of the finest rollercoasters in the world with a pacing that no other wooden coaster can match. It evokes fear in me quite unlike any other in the top ten. It's not a passive experience and fully takes your breathe away. A ride that pushes you to your limits. Its outstanding even if it needs more work done to one of the downward turns.

8. Alpengeist, Busch Gardens Williamsburg. A B&M invert that is so massive, so dominant, there was no way I couldn't love it. I loved that sheer speed and scale of Alpengeist and how well paced that first half of the ride is. The second half is trimmed to severely to be as enjoyable but it is an absolutely fantastic old-school B&M Inverter.

9. Batman: Gotham City Escape, Parque Warner Madrid. It's odd to describe this ride and I think it needs to be ridden because it is so unique. I was surprised by how much I like it, but its one of those rides that is full of surprises and variety.

10. Helix, Liseberg. A masterclass in building to the terrain with such aggressive air time that it begins to hurt your legs. With the advent of Taron and Intamins far faster launches, its always fun to return to Liseberg and remember just how good the Mack trains are and how great Helix is.

The following rides were so close but just not good enough to be in the top ten.

Iron Grawzi, Velocicoaster. Nitro, Twisted Timbers, Dominator, Superman de Acero, Abyssus, Zadra, Hyperion, Katun, Oz'Iris, Wildfire, Wodan

*JoshC.* · October 14, 2023

3 Intamins in your Top 10 Mark?

Welcome to the dark side...

I've heard very little about Batman GCE, so your brief review has definitely renewed my interest in it. Looking forward to riding it in a couple of weeks!

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