Vote Coasters 2023 Poll Results

[Matt N]

I would say that the two things that make a ride more favourable to the majority of park visitors are:
1. It's marketing
2. What it looks like

It sounds daft, but you look at Wickerman - it's a fairly standard family GCI. It is nothing special, other than it's theming and the excellent marketing from Merlin. People seem to love it. Look at Infusion at BPB - its a standard SLC, but it looks pretty epic due to where it is and it is what people think a coaster should be. It regularly scores at the top in guest surveys.

Personally, I am really looking forward to Hyperia. I would think though that PMBO *might* still score higher in GP surveys simply because of how it looks and the fact that it's what people expect a Hypercoaster to look like.

Everything related to ride experience is subjective - I love rides that feel out of control and a bit rattly, many people look for 'glass smooth' rides. So unless we can come up with a league table of measurable statistics to rank coasters on, these things will always just be a bit of folly.

I’m not sure that necessarily applies in an enthusiast poll like this one, though. To the average visitor, maybe, but in polls like this one, it will probably only be enthusiasts, or at very least people with a higher-than-average interest in theme parks and roller coasters, participating.

It is completely subjective, and I don’t subscribe to the theory held by some that enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts have totally different views on things, but I’d suggest that enthusiasts do sometimes tend to judge rides differently to the average visitor and have different criteria. I’d suggest that many enthusiasts would look past the marketing and such and judge solely on the ride experience. Visual appeal may play a role for some, but I don’t think marketing would make much of a difference for too many.

Ultimately, Vote Coasters is an enthusiast poll. As such, it is likely to reflect the views of enthusiasts rather than the wider park-visiting populace.

I think all of these polls are just a bit of fun rather than the unerring authority on what coasters are the best. There’s no way that anyone could conclusively make such statements, as it is all incredibly subjective.

In my view, I would say that Vote Coasters seems to be a more accurate depiction of the tastes of most enthusiasts than something like the Golden Ticket Awards, but my view on the matter is precisely that; my view. It’s based solely on my own anecdotal experiences with other enthusiasts and corresponding perspective on what the most generally well-liked rides are. Someone else with a different sample and different social circles may have a totally different perspective on the matter.