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Your Top Ten Coasters

I'm sure my top ten will change after my upcoming trips to Liseberg and BPB (to finally ride Icon!), but here we go:

(Shout outs to Megafobia, Ghost Rider, Superman (SFMM), The original Space Mountain (EuroDisney), Tonnerre de Zeus and Desperado (Buffalo Bills) for rides that I went on and loved as a kid 20 or so years ago but haven't been on since)

  1. Shambhala- Portaventura
  2. Blue Fire- Europa Park
  3. PMBO- Blackpool Pleasure Beach
  4. Wodan- Europa Park
  5. Red Force- Portaventura
  6. Silver Star- Europa Park
  7. Big Thunder Mountain- Disneyland Paris
  8. Nemesis- Alton Towers
  9. Furious Baco- Portaventura
  10. The Swarm- Thorpe Park
 
Suppose I'd better update my list.

1. Montu
2. Nemesis
3. Kumba
4. SheiKra
5. Manta
6. Wicker Man
7. Kraken
8. The Mummy (IOA)
9. Oblivion
10. Cheetah Hunt

Honourable mentions to The Smiler, both sides of Dueling Dragons (RIP) and the old Incredible Hulk.
 
I don't know about order, but my top ten would be some arrangement of the following:

  • Nemesis
  • Kumba
  • Ultimate
  • Bullet Coaster (Happy Valley Shenzhen)
  • Montu
  • Manta
  • Smiler
  • Wicker Man
  • Icon
  • Maybe something at Universal, I don't know
Actually, I'm not sure. But if I were to pick 10 favourite coasters, those come to mind first
 
Sorry to bump the thread, but I've decided to rifle through Captain Coaster and rank everything I've ever ridden! Yes... absolutely everything, from B&M hypers to Vekoma Rollerskaters! I thought it might be interesting, and I decided it'd be best to do it now while I've still got a sort of low coaster count, so here is the top 30 out of my list:
Matt N's Top 30 Coasters
(You may note that while I was at it, I also decided to rearrange my coaster rankings slightly! Coasters that I've moved are in italics.)
  1. Mako (SeaWorld Orlando)
  2. Icon (Blackpool Pleasure Beach)
  3. Montu (Busch Gardens Tampa)
  4. SheiKra (Busch Gardens Tampa)
  5. Nemesis (Alton Towers)
  6. The Swarm (Thorpe Park)
  7. The Smiler (Alton Towers)
  8. Kraken (SeaWorld Orlando)
  9. Kumba (Busch Gardens Tampa)
  10. Wicker Man (Alton Towers)
  11. Megafobia (Oakwood)
  12. Incredible Hulk (Universal's Islands of Adventure)
  13. Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit (Universal Studios Florida)
  14. Stealth (Thorpe Park)
  15. Nemesis Inferno (Thorpe Park)
  16. Speed (Oakwood)
  17. Nickelodeon Streak (Blackpool Pleasure Beach)
  18. Oblivion (Alton Towers)
  19. Cheetah Hunt (Busch Gardens Tampa)
  20. Manta (SeaWorld Orlando)
  21. Galactica (Alton Towers)
  22. Revenge of the Mummy (Universal Studios Florida)
  23. Big Dipper (Blackpool Pleasure Beach)
  24. Expedition Everest (Disney's Animal Kingdom)
  25. Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts (Universal Studios Florida)
  26. Thirteen (Alton Towers)
  27. Cobra's Curse (Busch Gardens Tampa)
  28. Dragon's Fury (Chessington World of Adventures)
  29. Revolution (Blackpool Pleasure Beach)
  30. Shockwave (Drayton Manor)
​
As I also decided to rearrange my top 10 slightly, I'm also updating my top 10 with explanations:
Matt N's Top 10 Coasters (with explanations)
  1. Mako (SeaWorld Orlando) - This was my first B&M hyper, and wow! It blew me away! Before I had the opportunity to ride, I had very high expectations of it, but I kept thinking to myself from watching POVs of different B&M hypers; "What do they [coaster enthusiasts] all like so much? It's just a load of hills in a row! Where are the inversions?" But after that first ride on Mako, on the 23rd August 2016, in second row, I was wowed! The airtime was immense, with the drop really pulling me over with an immense moment of airtime. The hills all had an immense amount of airtime too. The ending also provided some nice twisty fun. When I read reviews online after riding, I was thinking "Trim? What trim? I couldn't notice any trim!" And it was so, so smooth! One of the smoothest coasters I've ever ridden. As soon as Mako ended, I just knew it was the best thing I'd ever ridden. Is that what you guys felt like when you first stepped off of El Toro, Lightning Rod, Taron and other highly rated coasters? In conclusion: best thing ever for me. Out of 39 coasters, this is my favourite.
  2. Icon (Blackpool Pleasure Beach) - Icon is just stunning! There's quite a bit of decent airtime on the ride, in my opinion, and I also feel that the ride has excellent pacing and some surprisingly intense moments! It's blissfully smooth too, in my opinion! The launches, while not packing as much initial burst as a hydraulic launch, still boost the train with decent force, in my opinion; the second launch especially is simply amazing! You're already going at a decent speed, and then it just blasts you forward with another huge speed boost; I love it! Besides, the launches merely act as a method of propulsion on Icon; I personally feel that Icon is more focused on an overall package than one element of the coaster, and if you ask me, it is one stunning coaster experience! Blackpool and Mack should be very proud of what they've accomplished with Icon, in my opinion!
  3. Montu (Busch Gardens Tampa) - It's just like Nemesis but longer. What's not to love?
  4. SheiKra (Busch Gardens Tampa) - I was not expecting to like SheiKra as much as I did. It's such a great ride! It packs a punch, the drops are great, it's quite smooth for a 12 year old coaster and I just adore this ride! Fun fact for you guys: SheiKra is actually my Dad's number 1 coaster!
  5. The Swarm (Thorpe Park) - I love this attraction! It packs a punch, it's virtually Mako smooth, the seating position makes for an interesting ride experience, the theming is excellent and it's just a great ride. I don't really get all the hate for wing coasters, as Swarm is fantastic in my opinion. Although in a way, I am slightly worried that I've overrated the Swarm. I last rode in May 2015, so I may have to rejudge in 2018. A reride in May 2018 didn't change my opinion.
  6. Nemesis (Alton Towers) - Brlliance. Sheer brilliance is what this ride is. John Wardley is a genius. Where do I even start with Nemesis' awesomeness? It's still one of the most forceful and intense roller coasters I've ever ridden. For the first few years I rode, I actually came off Nemesis with a sort of dizzy/light-headed feeling which strangely, no ride other than Montu in 2016 has given me. Also, I love that the ride builds up speed as it goes on and is still going at the same speed it started at when it hits the brake run. It's incredibly smooth for a 23 year old coaster, as well! It does have a very slight rattle to it on some rides, but this is more than acceptable at the ride's age. There are no kinks, jolts or roughness whatsoever in the trackwork itself. In fact, I actually reckon I may have had a Mako smooth ride in July 2017, with no rattle whatsoever. It just glided forcefully along the track! It was great!
  7. The Smiler (Alton Towers) - This ride is seriously messed up, from the ton of inversions to the theme, and I like it! This coaster is actually quite intense, but in a different sort of way to rides like Nemesis and Montu. Rides like Nemesis and Montu are intense in a forceful way, whereas the Smiler is intense in a crazy/dizzying sort of way, if you get what I mean. Gerstlauer were actually very clever in how they designed the Smiler's layout, because every single inversion adds to the feeling of dizziness and disorientation you get during the ride. I have also not found the Smiler overly rough, just a bit rattly. The rattle is more noticeable than on the park's B&M coasters, but is nothing too unbearable. I did have a pretty rough back row ride, however. And don't forget the cobra roll exit. An exit from one of the dive loops has a pretty hard jolt, as well. If the ride is any rougher when I next ride, I may consider bumping it down a few spots, as I'm not a fan at all of rough coasters. Some of my 2018 rerides on Smiler actually haven't been that bad rattle-wise, so it maintains its #7 spot for now. One thing I do find interesting, however, is that I actually think Speed at Oakwood is smoother, and it's 7 years older than Smiler.
  8. Kraken (SeaWorld Orlando) - I was pleasantly surprised with Kraken! It was not as rough as I was expecting and I actually thought that it was pretty fast and packing a good force when I rode! It felt lovely and powerful, in my opinion, and reasonably smooth, too!
  9. Kumba (Busch Gardens Tampa) - Yes; after giving it a little more thought, Kumba has made it into my top 10! The more I think about it, the more I remember Kumba being quite good! From the one ride I had on it, it was relatively smooth for a ride of its age, had some good g-forces and was generally a really good ride! The only reason it's below Kraken for me is because I didn't personally think it quite had that same level of pacing that Kraken did.
  10. Wicker Man (Alton Towers) - Well, well, well... I think Wicker Man might possibly be one of the most surprising attractions I've ridden in a while! During its construction, I was expecting a similar level of thrill to Thirteen from this ride, but I remained cautiously optimistic. And I was right to, as Wicker Man is a fantastic ride! It's pretty wild, and actually quite forceful in portions, even if not quite as forceful as Megafobia! The ride also had 2 pretty good pops of airtime following the not-so-boring corner, even though the airtime is not as strong for me as Megafobia's. The reason I prefer this to Megafobia, though, is because; it's smoother, with more comfortable trains; the transitions are much better and more thrilling than Megafobia's and just because I think I enjoyed the ride just a little bit more than I enjoyed Megafobia. Overall, Wicker Man is absolutely fantastic, and it really makes me want to ride more GCIs in the future.
​
Here is my whole list if you'd like to see it: https://captaincoaster.com/en/lists/192​
​
I must admit that this was quite difficult for me, as I'm terribly indecisive and I don't normally like to rank family coasters up against thrill coasters due to them being gentler rides intended for younger audiences and all, but I must admit that it felt quite satisfying having a place for everything within my list!​
 
1. Helix - Liseberg, Sweden
Without a shadow of a doubt, the best coaster I have personally ridden. While it might not be thematically perfect, it is beautifully stylized which suits the park down to a T and as for the coaster itself... WOW. From boarding the train with that soundtrack pumping through your very veins, the ride does not let up from start to finish, the punchy dive from the hilltop station, tumbling down the mountain into the Norwegian loop, the snappy helix transition into the second launch, right up to THAT Air-Time hill with the view over Gothenburg. It really is a masterpiece of pacing, elements and forces working in perfect harmony with location and landscape! <3

2. Wodan - Europa Park, Germany
There really is only one word to describe this coaster, no matter what time of year, what time of day... It's relentless. From the moment you crest over that lift, this ride does not give you time to breathe until you're making your way back through the maintenance bay. Speed, airtime, laterals and wonderfully simple yet almost brutal maneuvers, there really is nothing more to be said, fantastic.

3. Taron - Phantasialand, Germany
Briefly harking back to my comments on Helix not being thematically perfect, if you do want a piece of thematic genius... Then this IS your coaster! While I absolutely appreciate that this coaster might not be everybody's ideal, with many people having ridden far more rides than myself... For me however, this ride is filled my my three favorite things on a ride, airtime, speed and snappy laterals, all combined with one of the most immersive thematic settings on a coaster. It's stunning!

4. Tonnere De Zeus - Parc Asterix, France
Basically everything Wodan, but older, more traditional and probably more brutal. It's just wonderfully terrifying, the way it squeals round the corners. :D

5. Expedition GeForce - Holiday Park, Germany
This ride was my first internationally renowned coaster when I first rode it back in August 2011 and it really really is just wonderful. That first drop and the subsequent airtime feast that ensues following it, just brilliant. A hot day, it's just great, really REALLY great.

6. Monster - Parc Wallygator, France
I've never before felt like a ride was about to rip my feet from my legs... Well, that was until I rode Monster around 2pm in 35 degree heat. I feel that's all I need to say really.

7. Troy - Toverland, Netherlands
One of GCI's earliest career highs and still to this day it packs a punch. It's long, incredibly long and the pacing and punch do not stop right till the very end. Rattling round that final helix and still trying to smile/pose for the ORP is almost more than a standard human is capable of... I mean the thundering sound of those trains rallying through station fly through is almost enough to finish anybody off.

8. Nemesis - Alton Towers, England
It's Nemesis... We all know.

9. Oz Iris - Parc Asterix, France
What I really love about this coaster is that it is a completely none formulaic B&M Invert. It has the speed and low to the ground maneuvers and transitions, along with all the big elements... But they're not in the order you'd ordinarily expect them. All this coupled with a wonderfully quirky theme from Parc Asterix, it really is a fab ride!

10. Shambhala - Portaventura, Spain
Now I know this ride has caused a lot of controversy over it's 6 year existence and it's by no means my favorite... But, there's no denying it's good. Just the floater air, it does peter out toward the end compared to others, however the first 2/3rds are nothing but sheer joy.

And on this note... I feel I need to change my signature :p
 
John_P said:
Here's my current top ten

Maverick
Top Thrill Dragster
Shambhala
Troy
Goliath
Icon
Nemesis
Red Force
Magnum XL200
Millennium Force

Visiting Phantasialand and Europa Park in the autumn so potentially some changes to come this year.
Click to expand...

Right then, with no new parks planned until next summer here is my updated list...

Taron (Phantasialand)
Maverick (Cedar Point)
Top Thrill Dragster (Cedar Point)
Wodan (Europa Park)
Troy (Toverland)
Silver Star (Europa Park)
Shambhala (Port Aventura)
Goliath (Walibi Holland)
Icon (Blackpool Pleasure Beach)
Nemesis (Alton Towers)

Taron straight in with a bullet at number one! The nighttime ert was spectacular!
A return to Toverland pushed Troy up a bit only for Wodan to fly past it only weeks later. Silver Star was a big surprise for me and sits just above it's Salou based sibling.

Hitting a few new parks (and a return to Cedar Point) in 2019, plus hopefully finally get to Liseberg so the list could be altered again next year with the likelihood that no UK based coasters will be on it. Was a great year though, 5 new parks and nearly 40 new coasters.
 
My last visit to Cedar Point was in 2012 so I'm going off what I remember, plus about 9 goes on Taron 6 weeks ago is much more memorable an experience than 4 goes on Maverick 6 years ago. Thinking back I didn't know much about Maverick going in, TTD, Magnum, and Millennium force were the big draws for me to CP and I was blown away by it. Whereas Taron I went into it with all the hype of the ride and other peoples opinions, and if anything it surpassed them.
Magnum and Millennium force sit 11th and 12th on my list. Mean Streak was awful, the rest of the coasters were ok, and they closed Disaster Transport for good the day I went on it for the first time. Raptor could potentially be higher in my overall list, but I prefer nemesis as my b and m invert of choice (black mamba is also very good).
Maybe Icon (and Nemesis) are both in the list for nostalgic reasons what with them being at my two most local parks (RIP Pleasure Land Southport + Camelot) but currently I'm glad some of my top ten are barely an hour from my house.
 
Update for me after some re-rides:

1) Mako
2) Kumba
3) SheiKra
4) Incredible Hulk
5) Steel Eel
6) Icon
7) Cheetah Hunt (at night only)
8) Montu
9) Kraken
10) The Swarm (at night only)

If I did a top 20 rides like Nemesis, Oblivion & Manta would be in there for sure.
 
MakoMania said:
Update for me after some re-rides:

1) Mako
2) Kumba
3) SheiKra
4) Incredible Hulk
5) Steel Eel
6) Icon
7) Cheetah Hunt (at night only)
8) Montu
9) Kraken
10) The Swarm (at night only)

If I did a top 20 rides like Nemesis, Oblivion & Manta would be in there for sure.
Click to expand...
I must admit I'm surprised to see Icon at your #6 spot; I thought Icon was your #2 behind Mako, possibly even your #1 ahead of Mako? Did something change with regards to your opinion of Icon, or is it just down to the brilliance of the rides above it, if you wouldn't mind telling me?
Rob said:
Taron over Maverick!? Wow!
Click to expand...
To be fair, I've seen quite a few people place Taron ahead of Maverick. I'm a little undecided with regards to which one looks better from POVs, as they both look so amazing, but one thing making me lean slightly more towards Taron is that it has those amazing Icon-style restraints, whereas Maverick has the traditional (albeit softer) OTSRs; I'm admittedly not too sure what impact that has on the ride experience, though!
 
Benzin said:
Taron is better than Maverick purely because Taron doesn't have those awful restraints...
Click to expand...

Awful restraints? The soft padded Intamin OTSRs are absolutely fine! I think Maverick might kill you with lap restraints anyway, as would I305.

Matt N said:
To be fair, I've seen quite a few people place Taron ahead of Maverick. I'm a little undecided with regards to which one looks better from POVs, as they both look so amazing, but one thing making me lean slightly more towards Taron is that it has those amazing Icon-style restraints, whereas Maverick has the traditional (albeit softer) OTSRs; I'm admittedly not too sure what impact that has on the ride experience, though!
Click to expand...

I love Taron, it is a great coaster. Maverick is on another level though, as far as coasters go it is pretty much perfection. Speed, airtime, crazy transitions, intensity, inversions and no dead spots. Taron has dead spots and the ending is poor.
 
@Matt N Re: Icon, it's no worse of a ride than when I first rode it. I just forgot how good Kumba & crew were!

Honestly Icon, Steel Eel & Hulk could be interchanged in any order for me.
 
MakoMania said:
@Matt N Re: Icon, it's no worse of a ride than when I first rode it. I just forgot how good Kumba & crew were!

Honestly Icon, Steel Eel & Hulk could be interchanged in any order for me.
Click to expand...
Rob said:
Awful restraints? The soft padded Intamin OTSRs are absolutely fine! I think Maverick might kill you with lap restraints anyway, as would I305.



I love Taron, it is a great coaster. Maverick is on another level though, as far as coasters go it is pretty much perfection. Speed, airtime, crazy transitions, intensity, inversions and no dead spots. Taron has dead spots and the ending is poor.
Click to expand...
Ah right. Thanks guys!

I must admit that I find it kind of hard to rank coasters, as I'm very indecisive and I like to see every ride for what it is; some of the coasters in my top 10 are incredibly close to one another; I know Nemesis and Swarm certainly are, for example!
 
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