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The best park in the world for each major manufacturer?

Matt N

Matt N

CF Legend
Hi guys. Parks across the world go to various different manufacturers for their coasters, and over time, many parks have built up quite a collection of certain manufacturers’ rides. But my question to you today is; what is the best park in the world to go to if you’re a fan of each major manufacturer? Which park has the best B&Ms, the greatest Gerstlauers or the most awesome Arrows? (just as an example)

Out of all the major manufacturers (where at least one park has more than one of their coasters) I can think of, here’s my personal picks:
  • B&M: Six Flags Great Adventure - The park with the most B&Ms of any park on Earth seemed like a good choice, but not just because of quantity! They have a really well-rounded selection of B&Ms; a hyper, an invert, a flyer, a floorless and a standup, most of which are pretty highly received versions of their models!
  • Intamin: Cedar Point - There’s so much great-looking Intamin goodness on offer at Cedar Point; the triple threat of Millennium Force, Maverick and Top Thrill Dragster alone is a great lineup which tends to be really highly received, not to mention that Intamin’s very first coaster is located here! If you’re a fan of Intamin, get yourself to America’s Roller Coast! Also, honourable mention to Hersheypark, as Skyrush, Stormrunner and Fahrenheit also function as a pretty formidable trio of Intamins, from what I’ve heard!
  • Mack: Europa Park - As Mack owns Europa Park and all bar two of their coasters are made by Mack, this seemed like a pretty obvious choice to me...
  • Vekoma: Energylandia - Energylandia has so much choice on offer if you’re a fan of Vekoma, ranging from a roller skater and a Family Boomerang (soon to be two) all the way up to Formula and Abyssus (very soon)! Some of Vekoma’s finest work is arguably in this park, and it’s where their new style of coaster manufacturing really took off, in my opinion!
  • Gerstlauer: Hansa Park - From a Gerstlauer point of view, the one-two punch of Novgorod and Karnan looks pretty hard to beat, in my opinion; both push the envelope hugely as far as their respective ride types go, and look utterly crazy! The park also has Der Schlange Von Midgard (I think I spelt that right?), a fun looking family coaster that arguably even furthers the win!
  • RMC: Six Flags Fiesta Texas - I know that Cedar Point may seem like a pretty obvious choice here, but as they already won Intamin above, I decided to give it to Fiesta Texas; they are the only park in the world with 2 RMCs, after all, and they look like 2 pretty good ones!
  • GCI: Hersheypark - As with RMC and Fiesta Texas above, Hershey kind of won by default here for me, as they’re the only park in the world with more than one GCI, and Wildcat and Lightning Racer both look fairly fun!
  • Arrow: Cedar Point - It looks like Cedar Point may be winning another category, as they’re home to some of Arrow’s most loved coasters! Magnum is a lot of people’s favourite Arrow, and Gemini seems pretty highly regarded too, not to mention that they have classics like Iron Dragon, Corkscrew and Cedar Creek Mine Ride!
  • Zamperla: The Park at OWA - This might seem like an odd choice given that Luna Park is owned by Zamperla, but this park in Alabama still seems to have a fair amount of Zamperlas, and Rollin’ Thunder seems far more highly regarded than any Zamperla coaster at Luna Park, so I decided to go with OWA on that basis!
  • Zierer: Busch Gardens Williamsburg - Verbolten is a lot of people’s favourite Zierer coaster, and they do also have Grover’s Alpine Express too, so I thought BGW seemed like a solid candidate for Zierer.
  • S&S: Fuji-Q Highland - With the utterly bonkers one-two punch of Eejanaika and Do-Dodonpa, I’d argue that Fuji-Q’s S&S collection is pretty difficult to beat!
  • Maurer: Rainbow MagicLand - With Shock looking like arguably one of Maurer’s finest coasters, and Cagliostro looking like a fun and interesting spinner, I think Rainbow MagicLand has a pretty fine duo of Maurers, personally.
  • Premier Rides: Kings Island and Kings Dominion - Both of these parks have a Flight of Fear and a Backlot Stunt Coaster, and I believe are the only 2 parks with more than 1 coaster from Premier, so kind of win by default.
But what are your thoughts? Do you agree with my choices?
 
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I just realised I forgot a few, so I’ve added a couple more!
FarleyFlavors said:
Not much in it, but for Intamin I'd go with Ferrari World rather than Cedar Point. That double whammy of Formula Rossa and Flying Aces is tough to beat.
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That’s a good shout, actually; Formula Rossa and Flying Aces looks like an awesome duo of Intamins, and with Turbo Track as a fun-looking support Intamin, they do have a pretty strong selection!
 
Matt N said:
I just realised I forgot a few, so I’ve added a couple more!

That’s a good shout, actually; Formula Rossa and Flying Aces looks like an awesome duo of Intamins, and with Turbo Track as a fun-looking support Intamin, they do have a pretty strong selection!
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That one is very hard. I still think Millennium Force + Maverick easily take Flying aces. Formula Rosa isn't really a good ride, I find it mor of a one trick pony. The launch is insanely fast and impossible to explain if you haven't done it but the rest is meh. Ones you wake up from the launch you are already on the bunny hills. Test Track is a really fun ride though.

Anyways for Arrow I would take SFMM. Magnum is an average hyper but X2 is an insanity. Magic Mountain also have Viper which is probably the best custom looper still around and Ninja is a great suspended. Gold Rusher is a really weak mine train but it's good for the kiddos.
 
ChristianPalsson said:
That one is very hard. I still think Millennium Force + Maverick easily take Flying aces. Formula Rosa isn't really a good ride, I find it mor of a one trick pony. The launch is insanely fast and impossible to explain if you haven't done it but the rest is meh. Ones you wake up from the launch you are already on the bunny hills. Test Track is a really fun ride though.

Anyways for Arrow I would take SFMM. Magnum is an average hyper but X2 is an insanity. Magic Mountain also have Viper which is probably the best custom looper still around and Ninja is a great suspended. Gold Rusher is a really weak mine train but it's good for the kiddos.
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I did actually consider SFMM for Arrow, but I thought to go for Cedar Point because they also have pretty fun-looking Arrows like Gemini as well as Magnum, and they do seem to have a few more compared to SFMM. SFMM might possibly be an equal shout, though; good call!
 
One could argue that Skyline Park in Germany is the best park for Maurers, in the sense they have a wide selection of Maurers. They're perhaps not the best Maurers, but it's not a bad shout of a park if you want to get a couple of them under your belt I guess.

I'm going to all fanboy for a second and mention my guilty pleasure manufacturer too.. Soquet. Bagatelle has two solid Soquets, in the nicely themed and solid-for-what it is Gaz Express, and the kiddie cred Spirale des Dunes has a hilarious airtime which has no right being as fun as it is in my opinion. If you want to fall in love with a weird French ride manufacturer, Bagatelle is the place to go.
 
Steely Dan said:
And if the rumor is true, and Indiana Beach ends up getting La Feria's shuttle loop in addition to Drier Looping, then along with their existing Jet Star, they will inarguably have the best collection of Scharwzkopf's on the planet.
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quoting myself here, but i just realized that one could also make an argument for Indiana Beach having the best collection of CCI's as well.

now, they don't have any truly large-scale blockbusters from CCI (Legend and Raven at HW probably take the CCI one-two punch category), but between Hoosier Hurricane, Cornball, and Lost Coaster, they certainly have one heck of an eclectic selection of CCI's.

potentially the best collection of Schawrzkopf's and arguably for CCI's as well: not too shabby for old Indiana Beach, "The Little Amusement Park That Could".
 
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Fair amount of defaults there and a few that look questionable, but then I look a little deeper and there's no better solution so I think you've got it pretty well covered.

Togo: Greenland - Double the fun with racing Milky Ways and you can't go wrong with an Ultra Twister. Rusutsu also has 3 and is almost top of my to do list these days, but it'll lose the battle of the stand-ups.

If only a park had 2 Gravitys... I might never leave.
 
Matt N said:
I did actually consider SFMM for Arrow, but I thought to go for Cedar Point because they also have pretty fun-looking Arrows like Gemini as well as Magnum, and they do seem to have a few more compared to SFMM. SFMM might possibly be an equal shout, though; good call!
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for Arrow, i think any objective assessment would have it as a two-way race between CP and SFMM.

as for splitting the hairs beyond that, i think it comes down to where one falls on the Magnum/X2 spectrum. both rides have their legions of die-hard fans and vocal critics.


to start, let's look at what's directly comparable:

multi-looper: Viper vs. Corkscrew - i'd say there's broad consensus that Viper is the superior coaster of the style.

suspended: Ninja vs. Iron Dragon - i'd say there's broad consensus that Ninja is the superior coaster of the style.

min train: Goldrusher vs. CCMR - both mediocre examples of their style, who cares?



so at this point SFMM has a comfortable lead, then come the big guns.

Magnum vs. X2 - too difficult to directly compare as the ride experiences are so very, very different.

If you LOVE X2, then SFMM walks away with it, however, if Magnum is much more your speed, then it might be enough to overcome SFMM's wins in the earlier rounds, especially when combined with Gemini, which is just good old fashioned all-around roller coaster fun, even if it's not cracking into anyone's favorite coaster lists anymore.
 
Love that comparation but there is one thing to remember. Don't wanna be rude to all Magnum fans but it is at best a mediocre hyper, it cant really compare to newer B&Ms like Mako or Shambala. Even at Cedar Point it is clearly beaten by plenty of coasters. X2 is something so unique and wonderful that it cant be understated. It is indeed rough but it still takes most other coasters. X2 is one of those must ride coasters for all enthusiasts, Magnum is something you can live without.

Sorry for hijacking this thread and turning into a Magnum vs X2 discussion.
 
ChristianPalsson said:
Love that comparation but there is one thing to remember. Don't wanna be rude to all Magnum fans but it is at best a mediocre hyper, it cant really compare to newer B&Ms like Mako or Shambala. Even at Cedar Point it is clearly beaten by plenty of coasters. X2 is something so unique and wonderful that it cant be understated. It is indeed rough but it still takes most other coasters. X2 is one of those must ride coasters for all enthusiasts, Magnum is something you can live without.

Sorry for hijacking this thread and turning into a Magnum vs X2 discussion.
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I’ve never ridden Magnum, and honestly, based on the fact I’m not a huge fan of its Blackpool sibling, I’m not even sure I’d enjoy it that much or whether it would necessarily be my kind of thing; I prefer Mako, the only other hyper coaster I’ve done, to Big One by a considerable distance; they’re not even close to one another for me, to be honest. I’m personally into the smoother, more airtime-filled, more rerideable coasters, so Mako is much more my kind of thing (it’s my #1, in fact!).

I’m only going off of a lot of reviews I’ve heard; I’ve heard quite a few people say Magnum’s their favourite hyper coaster and some even say it’s their favourite coaster period. It gets crazily good reviews at times.
 
ChristianPalsson said:
Don't wanna be rude to all Magnum fans but it is at best a mediocre hyper
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in your opinion.

other people who aren't you might well have a different opinion.

which is why i said that the arrow crown likely comes down to how one feels about X2 vs. Magnum.

different folks are going to see that one differently, and hence why there's not a very clear call here.


i personally LOVE Magnum, it's just such a wild, rambunctious, untamed bucking bronco. the ride has serious spirit and personality.

in a world where we have a good deal of hyper-coaster sameness, i'm glad we still have disrespectful punks like Magnum around who aren't afraid to be different.
 
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Kind of a hot take, but I think you could make a case for Hershey being the best park for Intamins. They tend to take on prototype models from Intamin to get a discount, so you get some really unique rides like Fahrenheit and Skyrush, and IMO Stormrunner is the best accelerator out there.

Speaking of Hershey, I'm surprised you put them as the best park for GCI's. Sure they have two, but Wildcat is one of their worst and Lightning Racer is inoffensive, but nothing special apart from the dueling gimmick.

EDIT: Jinx with caffeine_demon, lol
 
Yeah there's no way I'd have Hershey be the best for GCI. Lightning Racer is fun but nothing to write home about and Wildcat is awful. I'd probably go with whatever park has your favorite GCI (Mystic Timbers for me).

And if Ferrari World is in the running for best Intamins then Hersheypark definitely is too. Skyrush, Storm Runner, and Fahrenheit are all top notch. However I'd still put Cedar Point on top for that. The combination of Maverick, MF, and Dragster is too good.

I hesitate to put Great Adventure as the best place for B&Ms. It's partly because I'm biased against the park, but really, other than Nitro, the B&Ms don't really offer much that you can't get anywhere. Batman, Superman, and Bizarro indeed are all good, but not super unique rides and the park doesn't really operate them very well. Plus Green Lantern is awful.

I'm honestly thinking maybe SeaWorld Orlando for B&Ms? The combination of just Mako and Manta is fantastic. Now Kraken isn't my favorite (I actually prefer Bizarro), but it certainly doesn't put a damper on the lineup like a standup would.
 
Actually, SeaWorld Orlando might be a pretty good shout for B&M, especially once the rumoured Surf Coaster opens! All 3 of their B&Ms commonly seem to be ranked towards the top end for their respective ride types (even though I’m not personally a huge Manta fan, I know that’s not exactly a common opinion), and they have a pretty varied selection of ride styles, too (by this, I mean that they don’t just have 3 varieties of multi-looper; they have 3 B&Ms that provide quite different experiences to one another).
 
Hutch said:
I hesitate to put Great Adventure as the best place for B&Ms. It's partly because I'm biased against the park, but really, other than Nitro, the B&Ms don't really offer much that you can't get anywhere. Batman, Superman, and Bizarro indeed are all good, but not super unique rides and the park doesn't really operate them very well. Plus Green Lantern is awful.

I'm honestly thinking maybe SeaWorld Orlando for B&Ms? The combination of just Mako and Manta is fantastic. Now Kraken isn't my favorite (I actually prefer Bizarro), but it certainly doesn't put a damper on the lineup like a standup would.
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Agreed on SFGA, and SeaWorld is a certainly a decent suggestion for an alternative.

Personally speaking, I'd take Canada's Wonderland over either as I'm not a fan of flying coasters. Behemoth and Leviathan are definitely more my kind of thang. Haven't been on Yukon Striker but it doesn't look too shabby either.
 
As one of the most prolific builders of large scale custom roller coasters, B&M is a tricky one; LOTS of candidates.

There are 13 parks that have at least 3 B&M coasters.

SFGAdv - 5 (hyper, invert, flying, floorless, stand-up)

Carowinds - 4 (giga, hyper, invert, stand-up)
Cedar Point - 4 (dive, wing, invert, floorless)
SFGAm - 4 (hyper, wing, invert, flying)
SFMM - 4 (flying, stand-up, floorless, invert)
SFOG - 4 (hyper, invert, flying, stand-up)

Alton Towers - 3 (dive, invert, flying)
BG Tampa - 3 (dive, invert, sit-down)
BG Williamsburg - 3 (dive, hyper, invert)
Canada's Wonderland - 3 (giga, hyper, dive)
Happy Valley Chaoyang - 3 (hyper, flying, family invert)
Kings Island - 3 (giga, hyper, invert)
Sea World Orlando - 3 (hyper, flying, floorless)
 
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