2023 Golden Ticket Award winners announced

[Zeock]

I would probably say that the most questionable thing about these awards, considering reviews by the majority, is Millennium Force in 2nd place, and above Steel Vengeance. I haven't done either, but I have yet to see someone say that they rank Millennium Force so high.

 

[Ethan]

I would probably say that the most questionable thing about these awards, considering reviews by the majority, is Millennium Force in 2nd place, and above Steel Vengeance. I haven't done either, but I have yet to see someone say that they rank Millennium Force so high.

Exactly. Millennium force has been top 2 pretty much since it opened hasn't it. Seems a bit dodgy to me

 

[Matt N]

I’ll admit that these awards do always surprise me in terms of the coaster rankings in particular, but I don’t think you can necessarily decry them as “wrong” just because they don’t fit your personal expectations of what the enthusiast community likes most.

In terms of Millennium Force always ranking highly and that arousing suspicion; out of interest, what particular incentive do you think Amusement Today would have to fix the rankings to rank Millennium Force over, say, Steel Vengeance if that wasn’t how the voting genuinely played out? Millennium Force and Steel Vengeance are both Cedar Point coasters, so surely it makes no difference to Cedar Point which one is ranked higher, no?

In terms of Ride to Happiness not being present; it could be that the voting panel are largely American, and RTH is still a relatively new European coaster that many Americans may not have had the chance to ride yet. We’ve realistically only had 2 seasons of the America/Europe travel corridor being open post-COVID (and even that doesn’t take into account things like compulsory testing) where Americans could have come over to ride RTH, whereas Expedition GeForce has been going strong for years and even the likes of Helix and Taron had a fair few years of operation pre-COVID.

 

[Ethan]

but I don’t think you can necessarily decry them as “wrong” just because they don’t fit your personal expectations of what the enthusiast community likes most.

9/10 of enthusiasts that have ridden Steel vengeance and millenium will tell you vengeance is better. Therefore I want to know who's voting on this and why is Millenium always so high regardless of new coasters coming along every year

 

[Matt N]

9/10 of enthusiasts that have ridden Steel vengeance and millenium will tell you vengeance is better. Therefore I want to know who's voting on this and why is Millenium always so high regardless of new coasters coming along every year

Based on my personal experience and anecdotes from interacting with enthusiasts, I don’t disagree with your thoughts.

However, statistics is all about sample, and any one person in the community will never have a completely representative sample to base such statements on. It all depends on what circles you socialise in; people like us, who engage on forums, will have a very different sample to people who engage on Facebook or Twitter, and they in turn will have a very different sample to people who engage in formal clubs like the RCCGB, ECC or ACE. And that’s even before you go into the finer nuances of differences between individual enthusiast groups and such…

There are all kinds of perfectly legitimate reasons why the Golden Ticket Award results may turn out like they do every year. In statistics, the sample you work with is really, really important; perhaps Amusement Today’s sample is just different to the sort of sample we encounter on here?

 

[Funcone]

It’s very subjective. Millenium Force probably isn’t as good as Steel Vengeance, but I do prefer it to Velicoaster. Being right next to Lake Eerie with the water to your side definitely adds to the experience, although that could be said of several rides at Cedar Point. The lifthill is also very cool. Not just because it’s faster than a chain lift, but not having any maintenance walkway on either side makes you feel very exposed.

Some enthusiasts would prefer an airtime machine, but I really like the bits of track that hug the ground. You really feel the speed on Millennium Force, whereas other designs that bottom out and immediately begin rising again don’t give you the same feeling of speed.

I think part of the appeal is that it does feel unique. Now there are so many B&M hypercoasters, they can feel a bit generic if you’re someone who goes to a lot of parks.

 

[Dave]

9/10 of enthusiasts that have ridden Steel vengeance and millenium will tell you vengeance is better. Therefore I want to know who's voting on this and why is Millenium always so high regardless of new coasters coming along every year

You can literally go to their website to see how the rankings are done and sign up to get a ballot.

The Golden Ticket Awards | Presented by Amusement Today

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goldenticketawards.com

It’s bias because it had a lot of American enthusiasts voting, they have done drives to broaden the voter base outside of the USA but the bias is still there.

 

[Ethan]

However, statistics is all about sample, and any one person in the community will never have a completely representative sample to base such statements on

Right let's look at Alton towers as an example. If enthusiasts were to vote which coaster at the park is the best, I think it's fair to say majority would say Nemesis. However, hypothetically if the 2 million guests in a year all voted, then I think you'd find the winner would likely be different. I agree different groups are likely to prefer a certain ride. Hence, a load of enthusiasts on a pannel claiming Millennium is better than Vengeance doesn't mean anything. If the GP voted, then the coaster wouldn't be Millenium I don't think

 

[Dave]

Right let's look at Alton towers as an example. If enthusiasts were to vote which coaster at the park is the best, I think it's fair to say majority would say Nemesis. However, hypothetically if the 2 million guests in a year all voted, then I think you'd find the winner would likely be different. I agree different groups are likely to prefer a certain ride. Hence, a load of enthusiasts on a pannel claiming Millennium is better than Vengeance doesn't mean anything. If the GP voted, then the coaster wouldn't be Millenium I don't think

You are unlikely to get non enthusiasts engaging with a theme park poll so that bias will always exist. The best you can hope for us to reduce the geographical bias.

 

[Matt.GC]

9/10 of enthusiasts that have ridden Steel vengeance and millenium will tell you vengeance is better. Therefore I want to know who's voting on this and why is Millenium always so high regardless of new coasters coming along every year

If you're making the point that this appears to be a pretty useless list, which I think you are and many would agree with you on that, making claims that you have no evidence for or expressing such opinions of things you have no experience of isn't entirely helpful.

I've only ridden 1 on the entire list as I haven't been to the US in 29 years. It looks on the outside that there's a bias of voters living in the US, who are potentially not well travelled outside of their own borders and have particular affection for Millennium Force for some reason. But "9/10 enthusiasts" have not said that Steel Vengeance is better than MF unless you have a source? Me and you haven't ridden either so can really only decide which ones we think we would prefer if we did, but not say definitely which ones we prefer. If we did prefer SV once being able to compare from personal experience, other people are entitled to disagree.

There's far better ways of making the point that I think you're trying to make rather than throwing false information around, and claiming that you can definitively tell how good a ride that you have not experienced is by reviews, when it's down to personal subjectivity anyway.

 

[Ethan]

There's far better ways of making the point that I think you're trying to make rather than throwing false information around, and claiming that you can definitively tell how good a ride that you have not experienced is by reviews, when is down to personal subjectivity anyway.

I think reviews can help a person decide on what is the best. For example if you asked the public in the UK what is the best chocolate bar, I think a significant amount of people would say dairy milk or galaxy. Now let's say you've never tried these chocolate bars before so you make a pre judgement based on reviews, you're setting your expectations high so once you finally eat the chocolate it's more likely to disappoint. But yet, despite the high expectations, how many people actually try dairy milk/galaxy and dislike it. They live upto the hype for most people. Same can be said with Steel vengeance. Its rated extremely highly, meaning new riders have their expectations set high, but yet the ride still manages to impress nearly everyone that goes on it. In my opinion, and it's just my opinion, if something is able to live upto the hype as well as Vengeance does, then it's got to be the best

 

[ScottishChris]

Individuals have their own opinions regarding what's the best of anything. Having a top-10 lift of coasters is like having a top-10 list of biscuits. Everyone will have a different opinion and I don't think anybody has the right to question an individual's opinion on what they like.

In terms of consensus - I feel that the Golden Ticket awards lists have as much validity as if a dozen of us got together and rated every coaster in the world. Take it for what it is - its a skewed ballot where I am sure people are voting for rides they have never been on, or even seen in person.

On a similar thread - I once witnessed an argument at a coaster event where someone said that their number one coaster was Infusion. It turned into the most despicable rabbel where other 'enthusiasts' started barrating her about why she was wrong. Like I said, everyone has their own opinions regarding coasters, and nobody has the right to tell them that they are wrong.

 

[Alsty]

Having a top-10 lift of coasters is like having a top-10 list of biscuits. Everyone will have a different opinion and I don't think anybody has the right to question an individual's opinion on what they like.

And apparently you can like a biscuit you've never tried because it's somebody else's number one.

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

But yet, despite the high expectations, how many people actually try dairy milk/galaxy and dislike it.

Lots. Too sickly and sweet and not enough cocoa content to really be counted as chocolate.

Your logic is also slightly flawed. If someone can rate a ride they've never ridden as one of the best, based on the reviews that they've read, that means that someone else can rate the same ride that they've never ridden, based on your review that you've written, based on the reviews that you've read. Which means that someone else can... You see where I'm going here? If reviews are to have any meaning at all, or worth, then they have to be based on the opinions of people who have actually experienced them; not people who have read about them, not people who have seen videos, not people who have guessed and not people who have to pick an answer in order to submit the form in the first place.

 

[Ted]

RTH is quality but I honestly found Kondaa to be more enjoyable

 

[Ethan]

Your logic is also slightly flawed. If someone can rate a ride they've never ridden as one of the best, based on the reviews that they've read, that means that someone else can rate the same ride that they've never ridden, based on your review that you've written, based on the reviews that you've read. Which means that someone else can... You see where I'm going here? If reviews are to have any meaning at all, or worth, then they have to be based on the opinions of people who have actually experienced them; not people who have read about them, not people who have seen videos, not people who have guessed and not people who have to pick an answer in

I agree with what you're saying but I wouldn't put a review for people to read for a ride I haven't ridden. I say which I think is probably better on this forum but I'm not going to put an actual review for a ride that I haven't experienced because I know it could unfairly sway someone's view. I don't know if the reviews I see are from people who have even ridden the ride but I assume they have otherwise how can they describe the experience