Right, I know I updated the list fairly recently after my Florida trip in April, but I've reridden some other things and let's be honest; I'm never truly decisive about the ordering of my coaster rankings, am I? Also, I'm going to place a rating out of 10 next to each of the coasters in my list, as I have ranked every coaster I've ridden and rated it out of 10 on an overall spectrum of enjoyment, so I thought you guys might be interested to see what score I would give each of these rides. Anyway, without further ado, let's get right into my rankings, starting with my top 10 coasters with descriptions (warning in advance; some of my opinions may be controversial!):
Matt N's Top 10 Coasters (w/descriptions)
- Mako (Orlando) - Nearly 3 years after my first ride, this wonderful beast of a coaster still remains at the top spot for me! That might seem ludicrous given how many more rides I've ridden since, but when I delve into the ride experience, it's easy to see why this ride remains my #1; it's glass smooth and insanely rerideable, yet also forceful enough to feel as though you've gotten a kick out of it! But the main reason why it did so much for me was because it is an absolute airtime machine wherever you sit! This ride probably still has the greatest airtime I've ever experienced on a coaster; that first drop and those big hills provide ludicrously good sustained airtime, in my opinion! Mako is pretty much everything I enjoy in a coaster summed up in one ride, and even though it's nearly 3 years since I last rode, I am fairly certain that it is still my favourite coaster; plummeting over those airtime hills and down that first drop for the first time are still some of the greatest memories of my entire life! 10/10
- Icon - A phrase I would use to describe Icon is "jack of all trades"; I don't think it is the best coaster I've ridden in any particular category, but it is immensely good in quite a number of categories! I will admit the launches are not the greatest, but I don't think that really matters given how awesome the rest of the ride is! Icon is an extremely smooth coaster, it has very good ejector airtime, the turns are nice and whippy, the trains are excellent and the ride is very well paced, as well as being forceful enough to feel as though you've gotten a kick out of it! Overall, I think Icon is a wonderful coaster, and as with Mako above, it is exactly my sort of ride! I value fun and rerideability hugely in a coaster, and Icon is outstanding at both of these, in my opinion! 10/10
- Montu - An absolutely outstanding inverted coaster! Montu packs some absolutely fantastic forces and elements into its layout, in my opinion, and despite being such a big, sprawling beast of a coaster, it has just the right amount of intensity for me! It's also fantastically smooth for a coaster of its age and intensity, and some of the inversions are brilliant and unique, as well as having brilliant pacing, which I find staggering given that it's quite a long coaster! Overall, Montu is a simply fabulous coaster! 10/10
- Nemesis - As soon as I came off Nemesis for the first time in 2013, I knew it was a special ride for me! Even though my coaster count has increased exponentially since I first rode it, Nemesis has somehow managed to stand the test of time within my rankings; in fact, it actually ranks 1 spot higher for me now than it did in 2014, when I'd only ridden 25 coasters as opposed to the 66 I've ridden now! I swear my respect for it grows every time I ride it, and I loved it from ride 1! It shares many positive attributes with Montu above; it too is a fantastically paced coaster that is staggeringly smooth for its age and intensity! Nemesis is also potentially one of the most unique and artfully designed coasters I've ever ridden; even though Montu ranks slightly higher for me, I still absolutely love how Nemesis keeps on building up speed and intensity throughout the layout! It may be one of my most ridden coasters, and I may rank Montu marginally higher, but I don't think the raw thrill of Nemesis will ever grow old for me! 10/10
- The Swarm - In my opinion, The Swarm is potentially one of the most underrated coasters in the UK! Many slate it, but I absolutely adore it! It's glass smooth, decently forceful, the hangtime is fantastic and it's genuinely one of the most relentlessly fun and rerideable coasters I've ever ridden! As with Nemesis above, I also think that The Swarm grows on me each time I ride it, despite how much I loved it upon my first ride back in 2014! Overall, The Swarm is definitely my favourite Thorpe coaster, and such a thrilling, yet smooth and rerideable coaster, in my opinion! 10/10
- SheiKra - Enthusiasts may often criticise Dive Coasters for being one-trick-ponies, but SheiKra's trick is executed fantastically, in my opinion! The vertical drop 200ft above Busch Gardens is simply fantastic, in my opinion! The ride is also decently forceful, very smooth and has a number of other fantastic elements to it that really make it a fantastic ride! Overall, SheiKra is awesome, if you ask me! 10/10
- Mine Blower - Do not let this ride's unassuming stats fool you; Mine Blower is awesome! It's got some brilliant moments of ejector airtime and has fantastic pacing! The ride's signature inversion is also fantastic, and provides a seriously nice moment of hangtime in somewhat stark contrast to the relentless nature of the rest of the ride! Even though it wasn't the smoothest coaster I've ridden, I also didn't find Mine Blower as unbearably rough as expected; I only found it to have the slight rattle you'd expect from a wooden coaster and the odd minor jolt! However, do bear in mind that I only rode in the front, so it might vary further back. All in all, Mine Blower is a brilliant wooden coaster that's definitely worth taking a detour from the main parks of Central Florida for, in my opinion! 9/10
- Kumba - I don't initially remember Kumba ranking insanely highly for me when I first made a top 10, but the more I think about it, the more I remember this ride being fantastic! Kumba certainly packs a punch throughout, and is reasonably smooth with some great inversions! Overall, a really good sit-down looper from B&M, in my opinion! 9/10
- Kraken - Another one that I personally find to be very underrated! I never hear much positivity regarding Kraken, but I thought it was brilliant! Some great inversions in there, and I remember it being very well paced with power right through to the end, even though I don't remember it being quite as forceful as some other B&Ms I've done! Overall, a brilliant B&M coaster, in my opinion! 9/10
- Incredible Hulk - The only launched B&M coaster I've done, and it packs a punch for sure! The ride starts with a huge bang; the initial sequence of elements following the launch are absolutely outstanding, in my opinion! However, the reason the ride does not rank as highly as some other B&Ms for me is because I find the ending to be somewhat weak compared to the likes of Kumba, Kraken, Montu and others and I also don't think it's quite as smooth, although I certainly didn't find Hulk anywhere near unrideable by any means. Still, it's a fantastic coaster despite all of this, in my opinion; if it was a little smoother and the ending maintained the momentum of the fantastic start, it would possibly hit my 10/10 tier! 9/10
Now I've gotten the descriptions over with, I'll give a wider insight into the rest of my rankings with a top 30:
Matt N's Top 30 Coasters
- Mako (SeaWorld Orlando) (10/10)
- Icon (Blackpool Pleasure Beach) (10/10)
- Montu (Busch Gardens Tampa) (10/10)
- Nemesis (Alton Towers) (10/10)
- The Swarm (Thorpe Park) (10/10)
- SheiKra (Busch Gardens Tampa) (10/10)
- Mine Blower (Fun Spot Kissimmee) (9/10)
- Kumba (Busch Gardens Tampa) (9/10)
- Kraken (SeaWorld Orlando) (9/10)
- Incredible Hulk (Universal's Islands of Adventure) (9/10)
- Wicker Man (Alton Towers) (9/10)
- Megafobia (Oakwood) (9/10)
- Rock'n'Rollercoaster (Disney's Hollywood Studios) (9/10)
- Stealth (Thorpe Park) (8/10)
- Nemesis Inferno (Thorpe Park) (8/10)
- Galactica (Alton Towers) (8/10)
- Revenge of the Mummy (Universal Studios Florida) (8/10)
- Oblivion (Alton Towers) (8/10)
- Nickelodeon Streak (Blackpool Pleasure Beach) (8/10)
- Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit (Universal Studios Florida) (7/10)
- Cheetah Hunt (Busch Gardens Tampa) (7/10)
- Space Mountain Alpha (Disney's Magic Kingdom) (7/10)
- Big Dipper (Blackpool Pleasure Beach) (7/10)
- Expedition Everest (Disney's Animal Kingdom) (6/10)
- Thirteen (Alton Towers) (6/10)
- Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts (Universal Studios Florida) (6/10)
- Slinky Dog Dash (Disney's Hollywood Studios) (6/10)
- Manta (SeaWorld Orlando) (6/10)
- The Smiler (Alton Towers) (6/10)
- Cobra's Curse (Busch Gardens Tampa) (6/10)
So, that's my rankings! With the whole rating out of 10 thing, do bear in mind that this is relative to my entire count, which is why some of the top-notch
family coasters I've done, like Thirteen and Everest, only get a 6/10. This is also why Gringotts only gets a 6/10 as a coaster; if I was to rate and rank it as a dark ride, its score would be far higher!
