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Coasters you like more than most

Matt N

CF Legend
Hi guys. As with the parks topic the other day, I notice that the overrated coasters thread is getting a lot of traffic, so once again, I thought I’d spread some slightly more positive vibes and shed some light on those coasters we like more than most. So, what coasters do you like more than most?

I’ll get the ball rolling with some of my choices… I could pull up quite a few nominees for this, but to keep it fairly short, I’ll stick to 5 coasters.
Coasters you like more than most
  • Wicker Man, Alton Towers - To most, this is seemingly an average, disappointing woodie that doesn’t live up to the cross valley plans. For me, though? My favourite ride at Alton Towers, my favourite UK and favourite all-time woodie, and one of the most fun coasters I’ve ever ridden! Yes, it might not be the most intense coaster on the planet, but I think Wicker Man delivers a lot, personally; it’s fast paced from start to finish, it has really fun twists and turns, it has really comfortable trains, it’s fairly smooth in wooden coaster terms, it’s developed some surprisingly excellent airtime in recent years, particularly towards the back, and overall, in spite of most seemingly finding it a poor woodie, I think it’s the pure pinnacle of fun, and a coaster I could literally sit on all day without getting bored or feeling any unwanted side effects!
  • Icon, Blackpool Pleasure Beach - The second of the 2018 UK duo also makes it in here for me! Icon is a ride that seems to have few strong fans, and many who are apathetic towards it, but one that I personally have a lot of love for! Yes, it isn’t the most intense ride on earth. Yes, the launches aren’t the strongest. However, it is the UK ride that puts the biggest grin on my face! There’s a huge number of things I like about Icon; there’s a plethora of excellent airtime moments, including some that really surprise you, the ride always feels fairly exciting (even if it’s not the fastest in sections), the trains are gorgeous, the inversions are lovely, the twists and turns are profiled to perfection, it’s really smooth, and overall, I find Icon a hugely fun coaster that puts a huge smile on my face every time! In spite of many people’s general antipathy towards it, Icon is my favourite UK coaster, and my #2 coaster of all time behind only Mako at SeaWorld Orlando!
  • Rita, Alton Towers - Another Alton Towers staple, and I’ll admit that this is one I would never have included in a million years a few years back, but since getting back on it for the first time in 4.5 years back in 2020, all of my recent rides on Rita (4 separate rides across 3 separate visits) have been really quite excellent, with no real roughness issues, brutality, sore ears or headaches at all; even the worst recent ride I had only had a mild bit of bumpiness to it! My September 2021 rides in particular were really fab! I got my first front row ride, which was really quite smooth, and even my back row ride straight after only had a very mild rattle to it, which while it did make it marginally less smooth than the front row ride, was barely noticeable whatsoever; I’ve had rougher rides on Nemesis! And even notwithstanding anything to do with Rita’s smoothness; man, it’s really been putting a smile on my face lately! That launch, while not quite there on Stealth’s, admittedly, is still a rush like no other, and I actually think the ride doesn’t have a bad layout after the launch; I’ve experienced some legitimately brilliant pops of ejector on Rita, and although the drawn-out turns aren’t the most inspired, admittedly, and do partly hold it back from ranking higher for me, I think the euphoria of the launch and the airtime pops are enough to make it a really enjoyable ride that I certainly enjoy more than most! Overall, I like Rita a lot; I often feel quite sorry for it, what with how it’s seemingly become the unloved stepchild of Alton Towers’ coaster collection! And perhaps controversially, in spite of the two rides’ reputations, I notably prefer it to Stealth…
  • Rock’n’Rollercoaster, Disney’s Hollywood Studios - Even though most enthusiasts seemingly view this as pretty middle-of-the-road to poor, I’d had this ride hyped up to me a fair amount by my dad and sister prior to riding (they’d done the Paris version many years before and absolutely loved it to bits), and while I perhaps didn’t revere it quite as highly as they did, I must admit that unlike most enthusiasts, I most certainly see where my family were coming from on this one, as I thought Rock’n’Rollercoaster was certainly a pretty rockin’ ride (pun intended) myself! For starters, the launch felt really intense for an LSM launch; had I not known any better, I’d have presumed it to be hydraulic, and it’s easily up there as one of the most intense-feeling launches, if not the most intense-feeling launch, I’ve ever experienced! Also, I thought that the ride seemingly hurtled through the layout at fair pace, packing a thrill around every corner; those inversions and turns felt awesome! And while it had a bit of a rattle which took away ever so slightly, I didn’t think it was overly rough at all (although sitting in the front row may have helped with that)! Overall, I’ll admit that I liked Rock’n’Rollercoaster a lot; certainly more than most seem to, anyway, and it’s controversially my favourite Disney World coaster!
  • Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Universal Studios Florida - Most seem to think of this as complete and utter rubbish, but based on my most recent rides in 2016 (admittedly 5.5 years ago now, so my opinion may change when I reride)… I didn’t dislike it at all! Yes, it’s not one of my all-time favourite coasters as it was when I first rode in 2014 (on my first ride, HRRR really blew me away, becoming my then favourite coaster in Florida and 2nd favourite coaster of all time behind Swarm!), nor do I regard it quite as highly as some of the others I’ve mentioned in this category, but I like it, and I hold it as a solid top 25 (out of 79) and 7/10 coaster! I think the ride seems to pack a tangible sense of speed and exhilaration throughout, and I seem to remember the non-inverted loop being a really excellent ejector airtime moment, with a couple of other (admittedly notably weaker) airtime moments sprinkled within the layout too! I also don’t remember it being particularly rough, in spite of its reputation; it rattled a little, but I don’t remember it feeling overpoweringly rough by any stretch, and I have a fairly low roughness tolerance. I’ve certainly ridden many rougher coasters than HRRR, from memory! I’ll admit that HRRR perhaps doesn’t have the most interesting or eventful of layouts past the first element, and I would rank it a little more highly if it were less rattly, but on the whole, I remember quite liking it, and I certainly seem to enjoy it a lot more than most based on all the trash talk directed towards it!
But what coasters do you guys like more than most? As ever with this type of thread, I apologise if there’s anything controversial in my list, and if you need anything clarifying, don’t be afraid to ask!
 
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Quick few off the top of my head:

Vogel Rok - Indoor rollercoaster in almost complete darkness. And epic soundtrack. A true underdog coaster in my opinion.

Balder - I feel like it's an often overlooked woodie these days compared to like 20 years ago. It's the airtime machine.

Furius Baco - Such a fab launch mixed in with that hot Spanish sun and lovely vineyard setting.

Black Mamba - Seen a few people recently saying it's overrated. I think it's such a brilliant invert; probably the last great invert for me. Great layout, terrain, theme and soundtrack.
 
Quick few off the top of my head:

Vogel Rok - Indoor rollercoaster in almost complete darkness. And epic soundtrack. A true underdog coaster in my opinion.

Balder - I feel like it's an often overlooked woodie these days compared to like 20 years ago. It's the airtime machine.

Furius Baco - Such a fab launch mixed in with that hot Spanish sun and lovely vineyard setting.

Black Mamba - Seen a few people recently saying it's overrated. I think it's such a brilliant invert; probably the last great invert for me. Great layout, terrain, theme and soundtrack.
Have ALL the likes I can give your post*, for the Balder love!!! What a machine!

* So 1 like then...

For me:

Balder... Obviously

Icon... Specifically it being better than Blue Fire, is, I've discovered, an unpopular opinion.

De Vliegende Hollander... My favourite coaster in the park... I really enjoyed it.

Gouderix... Brilliant coaster for an old Vekoma
 
Sheikra - My 3rd favourite coaster, I rate it far higher than most people, both enthusiasts and GP alike. Why do I rate it above Taron and Shambhala? I don't know, I just love it and I am not exactly sure why. It has a fantastic first drop, it is quite intense (the first half at least) I love the suspense you get as you hear the anti-rollbacks click as you crest the 200ft lift; you have those few moments to anticipate that 90 degree drop. The whole experience is very dramatic. I think many enthusiasts overlook dive coasters because they are all similar in design, but I think Sheikra still deserves credit for being one of the best coasters in Florida.

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster - Number 11 in my ranking. It was my first launched and first inverting coaster. Nostalgia is a powerful thing. Added points for the on-board Aerosmith soundtrack.

Icon - I don't rate it as highly as Matt, but I still believe that it's the best coaster in the UK by some margin. It has variety and that is the main thing I look for in a coaster rather than sheer intensity and airtime. I am with you @Nicky Borrill Icon is definitely better than Blue Fire.

Kraken - Okay this has become very Florida focused, but Kraken seems to get a fair share of criticism for being rough, which I just don't understand; I have never had issues with discomfort on Kraken and I always find it to be a perfectly fun and re-rideable coaster.

Speed - I have an unreliable memory of this coaster as I haven't been to Oakwood since 2009, but from what I remember the ride felt forceful, but also pretty smooth. I liked it more than Saw at least.

Silver Star - Public opinion is changing for the better for this B&M hyper, but there was a time when nearly everyone made fun of it.

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Needless to say, Cannonball Express. I'm sure at least some of you have heard me rave on and on and on about this ride.

Outranks Nemesis, Stealth, OzIris, Wicker Man, Big One, and the like.

The reason? It's just pure FUN. A coaster doesn't have to be big and world-beating to be FUN. I'm not going to rank a coaster higher than another because I feel like I "have to" retain to the status quo of roller coaster rankings. If I end up ranking this above silly old Steel Vengeance, then that's what's going to happen. That's because I didn't enjoy it as much as Schwarzkopfachterbahn 07. (I have not ridden Steel Vengeance, this is just hypothetical)

I have exactly the same reasoning behind why I rank Goudurix and Odyssey so high too. They're fun.
 
Hi guys. As with the parks topic the other day, I notice that the overrated coasters thread is getting a lot of traffic, so once again, I thought I’d spread some slightly more positive vibes and shed some light on those coasters we like more than most. So, what coasters do you like more than most?

I’ll get the ball rolling with some of my choices… I could pull up quite a few nominees for this, but to keep it fairly short, I’ll stick to 5 coasters.
Coasters you like more than most
  • Wicker Man, Alton Towers - To most, this is seemingly an average, disappointing woodie that doesn’t live up to the cross valley plans. For me, though? My favourite ride at Alton Towers, my favourite UK and favourite all-time woodie, and one of the most fun coasters I’ve ever ridden! Yes, it might not be the most intense coaster on the planet, but I think Wicker Man delivers a lot, personally; it’s fast paced from start to finish, it has really fun twists and turns, it has really comfortable trains, it’s fairly smooth in wooden coaster terms, it’s developed some surprisingly excellent airtime in recent years, particularly towards the back, and overall, in spite of most seemingly finding it a poor woodie, I think it’s the pure pinnacle of fun, and a coaster I could literally sit on all day without getting bored or feeling any unwanted side effects!
  • Icon, Blackpool Pleasure Beach - The second of the 2018 UK duo also makes it in here for me! Icon is a ride that seems to have few strong fans, and many who are apathetic towards it, but one that I personally have a lot of love for! Yes, it isn’t the most intense ride on earth. Yes, the launches aren’t the strongest. However, it is the UK ride that puts the biggest grin on my face! There’s a huge number of things I like about Icon; there’s a plethora of excellent airtime moments, including some that really surprise you, the ride always feels fairly exciting (even if it’s not the fastest in sections), the trains are gorgeous, the inversions are lovely, the twists and turns are profiled to perfection, it’s really smooth, and overall, I find Icon a hugely fun coaster that puts a huge smile on my face every time! In spite of many people’s general antipathy towards it, Icon is my favourite UK coaster, and my #2 coaster of all time behind only Mako at SeaWorld Orlando!
  • Rita, Alton Towers - Another Alton Towers staple, and I’ll admit that this is one I would never have included in a million years a few years back, but since getting back on it for the first time in 4.5 years back in 2020, all of my recent rides on Rita (4 separate rides across 3 separate visits) have been really quite excellent, with no real roughness issues, brutality, sore ears or headaches at all; even the worst recent ride I had only had a mild bit of bumpiness to it! My September 2021 rides in particular were really fab! I got my first front row ride, which was really quite smooth, and even my back row ride straight after only had a very mild rattle to it, which while it did make it marginally less smooth than the front row ride, was barely noticeable whatsoever; I’ve had rougher rides on Nemesis! And even notwithstanding anything to do with Rita’s smoothness; man, it’s really been putting a smile on my face lately! That launch, while not quite there on Stealth’s, admittedly, is still a rush like no other, and I actually think the ride doesn’t have a bad layout after the launch; I’ve experienced some legitimately brilliant pops of ejector on Rita, and although the drawn-out turns aren’t the most inspired, admittedly, and do partly hold it back from ranking higher for me, I think the euphoria of the launch and the airtime pops are enough to make it a really enjoyable ride that I certainly enjoy more than most! Overall, I like Rita a lot; I often feel quite sorry for it, what with how it’s seemingly become the unloved stepchild of Alton Towers’ coaster collection! And perhaps controversially, in spite of the two rides’ reputations, I notably prefer it to Stealth…
  • Rock’n’Rollercoaster, Disney’s Hollywood Studios - Even though most enthusiasts seemingly view this as pretty middle-of-the-road to poor, I’d had this ride hyped up to me a fair amount by my dad and sister prior to riding (they’d done the Paris version many years before and absolutely loved it to bits), and while I perhaps didn’t revere it quite as highly as they did, I must admit that unlike most enthusiasts, I most certainly see where my family were coming from on this one, as I thought Rock’n’Rollercoaster was certainly a pretty rockin’ ride (pun intended) myself! For starters, the launch felt really intense for an LSM launch; had I not known any better, I’d have presumed it to be hydraulic, and it’s easily up there as one of the most intense-feeling launches, if not the most intense-feeling launch, I’ve ever experienced! Also, I thought that the ride seemingly hurtled through the layout at fair pace, packing a thrill around every corner; those inversions and turns felt awesome! And while it had a bit of a rattle which took away ever so slightly, I didn’t think it was overly rough at all (although sitting in the front row may have helped with that)! Overall, I’ll admit that I liked Rock’n’Rollercoaster a lot; certainly more than most seem to, anyway, and it’s controversially my favourite Disney World coaster!
  • Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Universal Studios Florida - Most seem to think of this as complete and utter rubbish, but based on my most recent rides in 2016 (admittedly 5.5 years ago now, so my opinion may change when I reride)… I didn’t dislike it at all! Yes, it’s not one of my all-time favourite coasters as it was when I first rode in 2014 (on my first ride, HRRR really blew me away, becoming my then favourite coaster in Florida and 2nd favourite coaster of all time behind Swarm!), nor do I regard it quite as highly as some of the others I’ve mentioned in this category, but I like it, and I hold it as a solid top 25 (out of 79) and 7/10 coaster! I think the ride seems to pack a tangible sense of speed and exhilaration throughout, and I seem to remember the non-inverted loop being a really excellent ejector airtime moment, with a couple of other (admittedly notably weaker) airtime moments sprinkled within the layout too! I also don’t remember it being particularly rough, in spite of its reputation; it rattled a little, but I don’t remember it feeling overpoweringly rough by any stretch, and I have a fairly low roughness tolerance. I’ve certainly ridden many rougher coasters than HRRR, from memory! I’ll admit that HRRR perhaps doesn’t have the most interesting or eventful of layouts past the first element, and I would rank it a little more highly if it were less rattly, but on the whole, I remember quite liking it, and I certainly seem to enjoy it a lot more than most based on all the trash talk directed towards it!
But what coasters do you guys like more than most? As ever with this type of thread, I apologise if there’s anything controversial in my list, and if you need anything clarifying, don’t be afraid to ask!
Prolly gonna get a lot of hate for this, but The Dragon at Legoland NY and Legoland Florida (I like the NY one) are legit amazing family coasters. Not too intense, but fun AF.

Also the Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Orlando.

I really wanna ride Great White at Morey's Piers and Steel Dragon 2000 looks legit awesome.
 
The one I immediately think of is InvadR. People always talk about it as if it's a family coaster, or generally below average for a GCI, but I thought it was lots of fun. Good first drop, some good airtime pops here and there, and it kept its speed for most of the ride. Honestly I'd put it pretty close to Griffon if I were ranking BGW's rides.
 
Phantom's Revenge - You'll never convince me that this isn't a top 5 coaster in the US, despite its straight track. The first drop is fantastic, the second drop might be the best in America, and the second half of the ride actively tries to throw you out of the train. Incredible.

Black Mamba - In the world of inverts, it is second only to Nemesis. I make no bones about it.

Copperhead Strike - Sure, the launches are weak but we knew that going into it, didn't we? The unpredictable mix of hangtime, intense pull outs, and ejector airtime keeps you constantly guessing. I'm going to say it... it's better than Maverick.

Winjas - The most underrated coasters in Europe.

Diamondback - There is no ejector, but the sustained floater air is pretty nice. It's in the upper echelon of B&M hypers.

Valkyria - I've yet to experience a B&M dive coaster that is as good and the competition isn't close. The smaller dive machines are simply better.

Twister (Knoebel's) - It's better than Phoenix. Sorry 'bout it.
 
There are a fair few family coasters that I'd rate above a lot of 'thrill' or 'extreme' coasters I've done.

These include Wild Train, Mine Train Ulven, Pegasus and most Soquet mine trains.

Oh - and 'everyone is wrong' - Tornado at M&Ds and Tornado at Bakken are/were both accidental masterpieces.
 
The Incredible Hulk… but only as nobody seems to give a **** about it. It’s got a very unique layout, a great (launched) start into an inversion, forceful but not uncomfortable, goes over water, looks divine and when you see it…. you know you’re on holiday.


I have very little to fault. I did significantly prefer the old theme (prior to its refresh) though, where you were supposed to be the Hulk himself (complete with the fun ‘experiment gone wrong - “nooooo!” launch). I was particularly fond of the tongue in cheek line “I think… I think it’s going to work!!!”. Now, you are being transformed into a Hulk yourself, the “nooooo!”s are gone and as a result the start is nowhere near as fun. It’s just not as cool.
 
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Dragon Khan.
Back in the day (circa 2006), this coaster battled with Nemesis for my #1 slot. It was just so big, powerful, imposing and had such a mighty roar. Loved it I did.
Today, It might not be as smooth as it once was, and it's presence has been somewhat diminished now that Shambhala towers over it... but it's still a beast of a coaster.

Goudurix.
There was one noticeable jolt as you come out of the batwing, but honestly the rest of the layout was absolutely fine. In fact, it was better than fine - I really rather enjoyed it. Good looking coaster too - big, bold and intimidating, just the way I like it.

Banshee.
Some say - poor misguided fools that they are - that Banshee is one of B&M's weakest inverts. Poppycock! It's awesome. Gigantic size, great layout, mega forceful and a lovely paint job. Best of all though, no MCBR!
Fab ride.
 
Hyperion
While most people complain about its rattle, I absolutely love that ride. I admit, the outer seats are close to unbearable, but the inner ones are fine, and the ride just keeps on giving. I love that drop, that sustained ejector hill and especially that turnaround.

Desert Race
The ride is pretty much a Rita clone and takes about 4 seconds from launch to breakrun. Many people tend to call it a bad ride because it is very short. Yes, the ride is short, but it is really intense throughout its layout. If it weren't that short, it would most likely be to intense for the GP to ride it.

Oblivion
Another ride which takes only a few seconds to hit the brakes. Yes, this is pretty much the definition of the one trick pony, but its drop is really good, and the valley is also decent. It is not a great ride, but its fun to ride and I enjoyed every single ride I had.
 
Hyperion
While most people complain about its rattle, I absolutely love that ride. I admit, the outer seats are close to unbearable, but the inner ones are fine, and the ride just keeps on giving. I love that drop, that sustained ejector hill and especially that turnaround.
I love Hyperion, just look where it sits in my ranking... But even I have to admit that it isn't consistent. It's similar to Wicker Man in a weird kind of way... In that it doesn't show it's 'best side' nearly often enough... Weather, wind, seat placement... Lots of factors affect what kind of a run you get on it. On cold windy days for example, it can seem to really struggle through the second half, it sometimes feels like it's going to stall on that big airtime hill just before the low twisty section. Yet other times it flies over it, and hits all the elements in the low section at crazy speeds. Plus, as you said, on a wing seat it is unbearable. If this coaster was just a little more consistent, more people would love it.

Valkyria - I've yet to experience a B&M dive coaster that is as good and the competition isn't close. The smaller dive machines are simply better.
That's another really good shout. It's an exceptional dive coaster, and absolutely destroys Baron... I think this coaster is the reason I find Baron so disappointing.
 
You've given me a good thread idea @Nicky Borrill... how about a thread discussing the most inconsistent coasters? I've certainly got a few coasters that would fit the bill, and it sounds like you do too!

You know what, I might go off and make one...
 
I thought Wodan was pretty fab tbh. I know there are better GCIs out there, but it just felt so relentless on my summer 2019 visit.
Also want to agree with others that Icon is actually pretty fab too. Rode it for the first time last year (been avoiding Blackpool my entire life) and rated it quite highly.

Also BTM at Disneyland Paris. I don't think I've come off a coaster feeling that surprised for a while now!
 
There are a fair few family coasters that I'd rate above a lot of 'thrill' or 'extreme' coasters I've done.

These include Wild Train, Mine Train Ulven, Pegasus and most Soquet mine trains.

Oh - and 'everyone is wrong' - Tornado at M&Ds and Tornado at Bakken are/were both accidental masterpieces.

Mine Train Ulven! Totally forgot about this!
One of the best mine trains around. Such a fun ride!
I just wish it was in a properly themed mine train environment for added effect.
 
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