• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

  • ⚠️ Online Safety Act Changes

    We've made some changes to the forum as a result of the Online Safety Act. Please check the post in guest services for further information.

Unpopular Opinions: Theme Park Edition

D4n said:
- Hyperion at Energylandia is utterly forceless and almost entirely lacking any thrills after the first drop, it pales in comparison to B&M hypers and isn't even the best coaster at the park (Formula and Speed)

- Legendia is a much more pleasant park to visit than Energylandia, despite having generally pretty naff rides. It has a beautiful lakeside setting, a couple of great places to chill with a pint, and one of the best coasters in Europe in Lech Coaster.
Click to expand...

Nail on the head with Legendia; doesn't feel like a cluster of fairground tat, easy to navigate and generally a pleasant place to be in.

Rating Speed over Hyperion though?! ****** hell, and I thought my views were harsh on it.
 
TPC said:
  • Ninjago: the Ride is the 2nd best Merlin UK dark ride after Hex
  • LEGOLAND is my 2nd favourite park in the UK due to it being the best all round park that doesn't solely focus on rides (coming from someone who loves roller coasters)
  • Rapids are better than log flumes
Click to expand...

Agree with you.
 
On a woodie-related statement, I have a new uncommon opinion that I think I might have the more I think about it, and I apologise in advance as I think it could be a controversial one:


Wicker Man is my favourite ride at Alton Towers and my second favourite UK coaster behind Icon.


I know it's a very uncommon opinion, but I absolutely love coasters that are just plain fun and leave you wanting to go back round again and again, and even though I've only ridden it 3 times, it never fails to put a huge smile on my face! Despite having followed its construction avidly for nearly 2 years, Wicker Man still remains one of the biggest positive surprises I've ever had getting off a coaster, and it somehow grew on me even more as the 2018 season progressed! The most recent rides I've had on it have all been in the front half of the train, so I can't wait to hopefully get another ride in the back half fairly soon!
EDIT: I also have another one; I think Epcot may potentially be my favourite WDW park. I apologise for bumping this thread and putting so much in it, but isolation has given me a lot of time to think about this sort of thing!
 
Last edited:
After a return to Alton Towers on the weekend, I gained 1 or 2 new uncommon opinions, some of which I feel might be very uncommon. There’s also a few of my less common opinions that I don’t think I’ve posted before:

  • Nemesis is my least favourite of Alton Towers’ 3 B&Ms.
  • On this subject, I would personally take Nemesis Inferno over Nemesis.
  • Wicker Man is my favourite ride at Alton Towers by a considerable distance, and only narrowly below Icon in terms of my favourite UK coasters.
  • Shockwave at Drayton Manor is actually quite good fun, and the stand up riding position, while a little odd, was not as uncomfortable as expected.
  • Back row is my least favourite row on Megafobia at Oakwood.
  • I found Olympia Looping quite painful, and when combined with the excessive intensity, is amongst my least favourite coasters (not quite at the very bottom, but definitely among my bottom 15-20).
  • I prefer Galactica at Alton Towers to Manta at SeaWorld Orlando by a considerable amount.
  • Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is my favourite of the outdoor roller coasters at Universal Orlando (if we’re including indoor coasters, then Mummy and Gringotts are still ahead of it for me).
  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is my favourite roller coaster at Magic Kingdom.
  • I would personally take Diagon Alley over Pandora: The World of Avatar, even though both areas are absolutely stunning.
  • While I really enjoyed Flight of Passage at Animal Kingdom, it didn’t quite live up to the hype for me and there are numerous dark rides I prefer.
  • I prefer Thirteen to Expedition Everest.
EDIT: Sorry for double posting!
 
You’ve not done Hagrid’s yet have you @Matt N? Nemesis is also my least favourite out of the 3 B&Ms at towers. Rockit and Hulk a joint 2nd on my list of favourite coasters at universal behind Hagrid’s.
 
spinba11 said:
You’ve not done Hagrid’s yet have you @Matt N? Nemesis is also my least favourite out of the 3 B&Ms at towers. Rockit and Hulk a joint 2nd on my list of favourite coasters at universal behind Hagrid’s.
Click to expand...
I last visited Universal Orlando in 2016, so I’m personally comparing HRRR to Hulk, the two sides of Dragon Challenge and the two Vekoma Rollerskaters. As I said, Mummy & Gringotts are my 2 favourite Universal Orlando coasters overall, but HRRR is my favourite outdoor one. Most seem to hate it, but I actually rather enjoyed it; there was a bit of a rattle, but I wouldn’t personally call it rough, and there’s actually a few good pops of airtime in places!

Hagrid’s does look fantastic, though; definitely looks as though it would be in with a decent chance of stealing the title of my favourite Universal Orlando ride if I were to ride it! IOA’s upcoming Blitz Coaster looks set to be breathtaking, as well!
 
Pleasure Beach Valhalla said:
The Ultimate is a brilliant ride the roughness adds to the experience
Rita is terrible and has no airtime
Click to expand...

The whole Rita is terrible thing is one I don’t agree with, everyone has their opinion on coasters and what they like/don’t like, but to me I think a lot of people have gave Rita unnecessary hate, yes it is very short, but it was built in a time where The Hydraulic launch was new and towers were looking for quick additions. I do rarely ride it nowadays as it’s so predictable to me, but I do enjoy the launch and the banked corners offer some nice pops of positive g, so I’ll have to disagree that Rita is “terrible” .:)
 
Connor98 said:
The whole Rita is terrible thing is one I don’t agree with, everyone has their opinion on coasters and what they like/don’t like, but to me I think a lot of people have gave Rita unnecessary hate, yes it is very short, but it was built in a time where The Hydraulic launch was new and towers were looking for quick additions. I do rarely ride it nowadays as it’s so predictable to me, but I do enjoy the launch and the banked corners offer some nice pops of positive g, so I’ll have to disagree that Rita is “terrible” .:)
Click to expand...
I'll explain why based off my most recent experience. So the launch is decent to be fair i was a bit harsh slagging it off that fair but that's the most good i'll give it. When it whips round the corner because i'm 6ft 3 the restraints (which i always find rather restrictive) slam into my shoulders and give me more pain as they whip from side to side so that needs padding to make it less painful and the layout find it very bland and where i was expecting to get airtime it was just not there. It is intense to be fair but i just don't enjoy it and the theming is nearly non existent with the theme not making sense at all. Sorry Rita but not sorry :p
 
Pleasure Beach Valhalla said:
I'll explain why based off my most recent experience. So the launch is decent to be fair i was a bit harsh slagging it off that fair but that's the most good i'll give it. When it whips round the corner because i'm 6ft 3 the restraints (which i always find rather restrictive) slam into my shoulders and give me more pain as they whip from side to side so that needs padding to make it less painful and the layout find it very bland and where i was expecting to get airtime it was just not there. It is intense to be fair but i just don't enjoy it and the theming is nearly non existent with the theme not making sense at all. Sorry Rita but not sorry :p
Click to expand...

oh I agree with a lot you say, and it would be my choice of coaster to miss in park I’d I do miss any out. I can’t really remember people saying Rita has airtime before the last year or two, maybe I’m wrong... but there were coasters that I thought had decent airtime, it’s not until you ride something that has real ejector or sustained floater that you realise what airtime really is.
 
Rita stands out because it is a clear weak link in Alton Towers' thrill coaster line-up.

And because it literally stands out I guess (ugly).

Not because it's a bad coaster. Just average.

But I guess we're drifting off topic.
 
I used to not be a huge fan of Rita at all, but I must say I really thoroughly enjoyed it when I rode in September for the first time since 2016! It had brilliant pacing, quite a bit of great airtime and wasn’t painful in the slightest for me! I also didn’t take huge issue with the restraints, either, although I’m not particularly tall compared to some of you (I’m only somewhere around 5’9”-5’10”; I don’t know for sure). Although I must say I think it would possibly make my top 10 if it had lap bars, as they would probably help you to feel the airtime a bit more.

I know that that was only one ride, but as things stand, the ride is currently my 2nd favourite Alton Towers coaster behind Wicker Man! On an on-topic note, that would probably be my newest contribution to this thread, as most seem to hate Rita or have a great degree of antipathy towards it!
 
If I was to contribute my own controversial opinion... I don't like the Smiler. might not be too controversial, as it does seem a marmite coaster, but I find the restraints awful as they always seem to come down too far on my private parts:rolleyes:, even at the halfway point i'm always pinned in my seat no matter how hard I try. It also has some pretty uncomfortable jolts on the final few inversions, that again are not helped by the restraints, and you don't feel as if you've been on a journey like you do with the nemesis layout. maybe if there was some extensive TLC on the ride, it would jump back up my list of towers coasters, but currently... I'd rather ride Th13teen, sorry Smiler fans:p.
 
Rick said:
I don't know if it's controversial or not, but all but two of Alton's coasters would be in the bottom half of any ranking I made.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I'm yet to ride that many coasters outside the UK. So a few still remain in my favourites, here's hoping to a better future for traveling again soon!
 
Connor98 said:
If I was to contribute my own controversial opinion... I don't like the Smiler. might not be too controversial, as it does seem a marmite coaster, but I find the restraints awful as they always seem to come down too far on my private parts:rolleyes:, even at the halfway point i'm always pinned in my seat no matter how hard I try. It also has some pretty uncomfortable jolts on the final few inversions, that again are not helped by the restraints, and you don't feel as if you've been on a journey like you do with the nemesis layout. maybe if there was some extensive TLC on the ride, it would jump back up my list of towers coasters, but currently... I'd rather ride Th13teen, sorry Smiler fans:p.
Click to expand...
I must admit, I’m the same. It’s a shame, as I used to love it and it’s one of the most important coasters to me in terms of its role getting me into theme parks (it was following Smiler’s construction on and off that got me into theme parks in the first place), but it’s just gotten a little too rough for me to enjoy these days. I’m more into things that pack just the right amount of thrill, and are smooth, fun and rerideable, hence why things like Icon, Wicker Man (despite recent reports, I’ve never had a rough ride on it) and Swarm (within the UK) sit so high for me!
Rick said:
I don't know if it's controversial or not, but all but two of Alton's coasters would be in the bottom half of any ranking I made.
Click to expand...
Out of interest, which two would these be? Based on the general status quo, I’m guessing that one of them is Nemesis, but I wouldn’t like to guess the other. Or I might be wrong in even guessing Nemesis!

On that subject, I’ve actually worked out an uncommon opinion of mine; all bar 3 of Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s roller coasters are in the bottom 50% of my rankings.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top