Golden Ticket Awards 2019 Winners

[Matthew Fair]

The Golden Ticket Awards 2019 have just taken place at Silverwood Theme Park in Idaho, here are the winners..

 

[VikingsAf]

Look at all those non-American prize winners

Edit : yeah. They're real theme park connaiseurs

 

[davidm]

^ yeah, they really followed through with that too;

https://twitter.com/x/status/1170586610368487426

 

[Ethan]

I assume the results of the GTAs are only posted on this site for laughs? The whole thing is a joke.

 

[Us3rmane]

Like every year this ceremony is a joke and European should not give a f of this

 

[FistedColossus]

Imma let you finish but...

 

[CanobieFan]

Gotta love Steel Curtain getting best new coaster... seeing is how it was only open *5 days* before ballots were due.
But that's not really a shock considering a water ride won once, that opened after the ballots were due...

 

[Hixee]

The fact they think Untamed is in Walibi Belgium just goes to show how hilariously out of touch these people are.

How many people must have seen that list for NOT ONE of them to notice that.

****ing amateurs.

 

[Expedition Coaster]

I'm suprised that they didn't say that Canada's Wonderland was in Michigan. BTW GTA, It's the UK not England - This isn't the World Cup or the European Championships.

Seriously, does this competition have any non-USA representatives?

 

[Matt N]

Some of the winners are interesting, I must admit! I wasn't expecting Hagrid's to win Best New Ride, but it's a great choice, in my opinion!

Out of interest, what is The Zenith at Mega Parc, which was the 5th highest ranked new ride of the year? Is it something I should probably know about; I don't remember it getting mentioned at all on the forums?

 

[Expedition Coaster]

Some of the winners are interesting, I must admit! I wasn't expecting Hagrid's to win Best New Ride, but it's a great choice, in my opinion!

Out of interest, what is The Zenith at Mega Parc, which was the 5th highest ranked new ride of the year? Is it something I should probably know about; I don't remember it getting mentioned at all on the forums?

Its a Ferris wheel in Quebec - https://www.mega-parc.com/en/attractions/zenith-2/

 

[Matt N]

Its a Ferris wheel - https://www.mega-parc.com/en/attractions/zenith-2/

Ah right; thanks for the clarification @Expedition Coaster! Interesting to see a hubless ferris wheel; I previously hadn't known of any outside of Tokyo Dome City!

 

[MackMan]

I agree with Europa being best park, other than that the GTA's are a joke.

 

[CanobieFan]

Ah right; thanks for the clarification @Expedition Coaster! Interesting to see a hubless ferris wheel; I previously hadn't known of any outside of Tokyo Dome City!

Pretty sure it was made by Larson (its basically a Ring of Fire being used as a wheel) and there was also this hubless in Bangkok https://rcdb.com/3745.htm#p=19033

 

[Matt N]

Pretty sure it was made by Larson (its basically a Ring of Fire being used as a wheel) and there was also this hubless in Bangkok https://rcdb.com/3745.htm#p=19033

Ah right; thanks for the info @CanobieFan!

 

[Hyde]

Here's the rundown on Top 50 Wood and Steel Coasters. We've discussed Golden Tickets' weird scoring system that leads to their often out-of-touch results; it's interesting, really, to see how tropes and roller coasters that were popular 10+ years ago somehow still ping to the top of this list, yet don't on any other listing:

2019 Top Wood

Rank	Name	Park	Location	Supplier
1	Phoenix	Knoebels	Elysburg, Pa.	Dinn-PTC/Schmeck
2	Voyage	Holiday World	Santa Claus, Ind.	The Gravity Group
3	El Toro	Six Flags Great Adventure	Jackson, N.J.	Intamin
4	BoulderDash	Lake Compounce	Bristol, Conn.	Custom Coasters
5	Beast	Kings Island	Mason, Ohio	KECO
6	GhostRider	Knott’s Berry Farm	Buena Park, Calif.	Custom Coasters
7	Lightning Rod	Dollywood	Pigeon Forge, Tenn.	Rocky Mountain
8	Outlaw Run	Silver Dollar City	Branson, Mo.	Rocky Mountain
9	Ravine Flyer 2	Waldameer	Erie, Pa.	The Gravity Group
10	Mystic Timbers	Kings Island	Mason, Ohio	Great Coasters Int.
11	Thunderhead	Dollywood	Pigeon Forge, Tenn.	Great Coasters Int.
12	Gold Striker	California’s Great America	Santa Clara, Calif.	Great Coasters Int.
13	Balder	Liseberg	Gothenburg, Sweden	Intamin
14	Lightning Racer	Hersheypark	Hershey, Pa.	Great Coasters Int.
15	Shivering Timbers	Michigan’s Adventure	Muskegon, Mich.	Custom Coasters
16	Wildfire	Kolmården	Norrköping, Sweden	Rocky Mountain
17	Giant Dipper	Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk	Santa Cruz, Calif.	Prior & Church/Looff
18	Thunderbolt	Kennywood	West Mifflin, Pa.	Vettel/Miller
19	Comet	The Great Escape	Lake George, N.Y.	PTC/Schmeck
20	Jack Rabbit	Kennywood	West Mifflin, Pa.	Miller
21	Raven	Holiday World	Santa Claus, Ind.	Custom Coasters
22	White Lightning	Fun Spot	Orlando, Fla.	Great Coasters Int.
23	Wodan	Europa-Park	Rust, Germany	Great Coasters Int.
24	Renegade	Valleyfair	Shakopee, Minn.	Great Coasters Int.
25	Troy	Toverland	Sevenum, the Netherlands	Great Coasters Int.
26	Legend	Holiday World	Santa Claus, Ind.	Custom Coasters
27	Goliath	Six Flags Great America	Gurnee, Ill.	Rocky Mountain
28	Cyclone	Luna Park/Coney Island	Brooklyn, N.Y.	Kennan/Baker
29	Prowler	Worlds of Fun	Kansas City, Mo.	Great Coasters Int.
30	Colossos	Heide Park	Soltau, Germany	Intamin
31	Boardwalk Bullet	Kemah Boardwalk	Kemah, Texas	The Gravity Group
32	Playland Wooden Coaster	PNE Playland	Vancouver, B.C., Canada	Phare
33	Flying Turns	Knoebels	Elysburg, Pa.	Fetterman
34	Rampage	Alabama Adventure	Bessemer, Ala.	Custom Coasters
35	Cú Chulainn	Tayto Park	Ashbourne, Ireland	The Gravity Group
36	Boss	Six Flags St. Louis	Eureka, Mo.	Custom Coasters
37	T Express	Everland	Yonjin-si, South Korea	Intamin
38	Blue Streak	Cedar Point	Sandusky, Ohio	PTC/Hoover
39	American Thunder	Six Flags Six Flags St. Louis	Eureka, Mo.	Great Coasters Int.
40	Blue Streak	Conneaut Lake Park	Conneaut Lake, Pa.	Vettel /NAD
41	InvadR	Busch Gardens Williamsburg	Williamsburg, Va.	Great Coasters Int.
42	Screamin’ Eagle	Six Flags St. Louis	Eureka, Mo.	PTC/Allen
43	Hades 360	Mount Olympus	Wisconsin Dells, Wis.	The Gravity Group
44	Megafobia	Oakwood	Pembrokeshire, Wales	Custom Coasters
45 tie	Rutschebanan	Tivoli Gardens	Copenhagen, Denmark	L.A. Thompson S. R. Co.
45 tie	Twister	Knoebels	Elysburg, Pa.	Fetterman
47	El Toro	Freizeitpark Plohn	Lengenfeld, Germany	Great Coasters Int.
48	Twister	Gröna Lund	Stockholm, Sweden	The Gravity Group
49	Switchback	ZDTs	Seguin, Texas	The Gravity Group
50	Grizzly	Kings Dominion	Doswell, Va.	Taft

2019 Top Steel

Rank	Name	Park	Location	Supplier	Year
1	Fury 325	Carowinds	Charlotte, N.C.	B&M	2015
2	Millennium Force	Cedar Point	Sandusky, Ohio	Intamin	2000
3	Steel Vengeance	Cedar Point	Sandusky, Ohio	Rocky Mountain	2018
4	Superman: The Ride	Six Flags New England	Agawam, Mass.	Intamin	2000
5	Expedition GeForce	Holiday Park	Hassloch, Germany	Intamin	2001
6	Twisted Colossus	Six Flags Magic Mountain	Valencia, Calif.	Rocky Mountain	2015
7	Iron Rattler	Six Flags Fiesta Texas	San Antonio,Texas	Rocky Mountain	2013
8	Apollo’s Chariot	Busch Gardens Williamsburg	Williamsburg, Va.	B&M	1999
9	Leviathan	Canada’s Wonderland	Vaughan, Ontario, Canada	B&M	2012
10	Nitro	Six Flags Great Adventure	Jackson, N.J.	B&M	2001
11	Intimidator 305	Kings Dominion	Doswell, Va.	Intamin	2010
12	Phantom’s Revenge	Kennywood	West Mifflin, Pa.	Arrow/Morgan	2001
13	Maverick	Cedar Point	Sandusky, Ohio	Intamin	2007
14	Diamondback	Kings Island	Mason, Ohio	B&M	2009
15	Mako	SeaWorld Orlando	Orlando, Fla.	B&M	2016
16	Nemesis	Alton Towers	Staffordshire, England	B&M	1994
17	Taron	Phantasialand	Brühl, Germany	Intamin	2016
18	Magnum XL-200	Cedar Point	Sandusky, Ohio	Arrow	1989
19	Helix	Liseberg	Gothenburg, Sweden	Mack	2014
20	Steel Dragon 2000	Nagashima Spa Land	Nagashima, Japan	Morgan	2000
21	Top Thrill Dragster	Cedar Point	Sandusky, Ohio	Intamin	2003
22	Time Traveler	Silver Dollar City	Branson, Mo.	Mack	2018
23 tie	Blue Fire	Europa-Park	Rust, Germany	Mack	2009
23 tie	X2	Six Flags Magic Mountain	Valencia, Calif.	Arrow	2002
25	Mind Bender	Six Flags Over Georgia	Austell, Ga.	Schwarzkopf	1978
26	New Texas Giant	Six Flags Over Texas	Arlington, Texas	Rocky Mountain	2011
27	Skyrush	Hershey, Pennsylvania	Hershey, Pa.	Intamin	2012
28	Intimidator	Carowinds	Charlotte, N.C.	B&M	2010
29	Behemoth	Canada’s Wonderland	Vaughan, Ontario, Canada	B&M	2008
30 tie	Goliath	Six Flags Over Georgia	Austell, Ga.	B&M	2006
30 tie	Montu	Busch Gardens Tampa	Tampa, Fla.	B&M	1996
32	Alpengeist	Busch Gardens Williamsburg	Williamsburg, Va.	B&M	1997
33	Banshee	Kings Island	Mason, Ohio	B&M	2014
34	Yukon Striker	Canada’s Wonderland	Vaughan, Ontario, Canada	B&M	2019
35	TRON Lightcycle Power Run	Shaghai Disneyland	Shanghai, China.	Vekoma	2016
36	Cheetah Hunt	Busch Gardens Tampa	Tampa, Fla.	Intamin	2011
37	Twisted Timbers	Kings Dominion	Doswell, Va.	Rocky Mountain	2019
38	Verbolten	Busch Gardens Williamsburg	Williamsburg, Va.	Zierer	2012
39	Wicked Cyclone	Six Flags New England	Agawam, Mass.	Rocky Mountain	2015
40	Kumba	Busch Gardens Tampa	Tampa, Fla.	B&M	1993
41	Cannibal	Lagoon	Salt Lake City, Utah	In-house/ART Eng.	2015
42	Steel Curtain	Kennywood	West Mifflin, Pa.	S&S	2019
43	Black Mamba	Phantasialand	Brϋhl, Germany	B&M	2006
44	Whizzer	Six Flags Great America	Gurnee, Ill.	Schwarzkopf	1976
45	Full Throttle	Six Flags Magic Mountain	Valencia, Calif.	Premier	2013
46	Raging Bull	Six Flags Great America	Gurnee, Ill.	B&M	1999
47 tie	Lisebergbanan	Liseberg	Gothenburg, Sweden	Schwarzkopf	1987
47 tie	Superman Ride of Steel	Six Flags America	Largo, Maryland	Intamin	2000
49 tie	Goliath	Six Flags Magic Mountain	Valencia, Calif.	B&M	2000
49 tie	Tatsu	Six Flags Magic Mountain	Valencia, Calif.	B&M	2006

Other hot takes in reviewing the list:

• Cedar Point continues to slide as most popular park, down to #3 with Dollywood moving up to #2. Curious how much the top Dollywood billing on customer service and kiddie area played into that as well.
• Steel Curtain is deserving of the #1 new coaster slot, but as others mentioned, seeing Untamed rank so low is laughable in comparison.
• Was there a recent ACE trip to Knott's? Ghostrider has shot up like a rocket into the top 10. The GCI retrack is phenomenal, but interesting to see it jump up so much.
• RMC rankings are very interesting, and pretty counter the consensus on how Schilke stacks up. Twisted Colossus at #2 overall? Twisted Timbers at #5? No Storm Chaser at all?

 

[Expedition Coaster]

No Storm Chaser at all?

What about no Eejanaika, DC Rivals, Untamed, Icon etc, but we do have utter nonsense like Yukon Striker, Cheetah Hunt and ...............Whizzer?

(Feel free to start the list of rides not to make the Out of touch ticket award's Top 50 Roller coaster list).

 

[MackMan]

Whizzer isn't top 50 by any means.. Fun coaster but honestly its nothing to write home about.. Raging Bull too? That coaster is B&M mediocrity at its finest, not a bad ride but top 50?

 

[John Knotts]

These voters don't travel much outside of the US or the top tier of the Cedar Fair chain (that's always been the case). Also, coasters that are part of recent enthusiasts events always get a bump, as well as the nerdy faves like Dollywood and Holiday World.

We complain every year, but we should all know this by now.

 

[Georgie-M]

The fact they think Untamed is in Walibi Belgium just goes to show how hilariously out of touch these people are.

To be fair, the ride isn't actually in Holland either.